Treat Yo’self

From Japanese cheesecake to artisan marshmallows, area bakers are sweetening the pot

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Fitzroy & Herrera Bakery

Established: August 2020

Owners: Megan Phelan, Patrick Phelan, Andrew Manning

Specialties: Macarons, ice cream

Fitzroy & Herrera, the pop-up bakery concept run by Longoven’s pastry team, Megan Phelan and Meredith Herrera, offers pastries including French macarons and tarts, as well as shortbread cookies and ice cream by the pint, from the side window at Longoven.

In addition to more refined pastries, the bakery window serves up sweet and savory kolaches — a Czech/Texan pastry with soft dough wrapped around a variety of fillings — and sandwiches such as prosciutto, mozzarella and basil on a freshly baked baguette. Quick and classic, these offerings are intended for a lunchtime crowd and inspired by Sullivan Street Bakery, where Phelan was once a baker. Both she and Herrera gravitate toward chocolate, which shows up in Phelan’s chocolate brownie ice cream and chocolate-caramel tart, as well as Herrera’s coffee-chocolate macarons.

“While we never thought we’d open a pop-up bakery out of the side window of the kitchen,” Phelan says, “it has been fun to create it, and it will continue to grow and develop a life of its own. Who knows, maybe one day it will have its own brick-and-mortar.” —SG 

Amusing Maria

Established: November 2019

Owner: Maria Goethals

Specialties: Filipino confections

After working as an occupational therapist for 15 years, Maria Goethals decided to pursue her love of baking and enrolled in a pastry arts program. Goethals’ Etsy-based, small-batch bakery specializes in pastries that pay homage to her Filipino heritage, such as pandesal — fluffy, semisweet bread rolls — and crinkle cookies made with the purple sweet potato ube.

Coconut, cassava and ube are some of Goethals’ favorite ingredients to work with. Her Ube for the Gods was inspired by a Filipino favorite, Food for the Gods, a dessert bar reminiscent of a blondie studded with walnuts and dates. Goethals’ variation adds a rich layer of cheesecake.

“Food, like music, is universal,” she says. “It’s my way of sharing part of the culture that is still a big part of my life, even from thousands of miles away.” —SG

Arley Cakes

Established: April 2015

Owner: Arley Arrington

Specialties: Cakes, pies, macarons

With messages like “My Body, My Choice,” “Black Trans Lives Matter” and “Thick Thighs Save Lives” swirled in elegant cursive across cakes and cookies, baker Arley Arrington doesn’t sugarcoat how she feels. “These causes don’t have to be separate, compartmentalized things,” says the 30-year-old of combining baking and activism.  

Arrington’s baking journey started in Charlottesville, where she waited tables at the now shuttered Brookville Restaurant. When a co-worker’s birthday approached, she decided to make them a cake. Soon after, the Orange native was getting requests from friends and earned the nickname Arley Cakes. Arrington eventually transitioned to the role of pastry chef at the restaurant and in 2015 launched her namesake business.  

The University of Virginia graduate, who also worked in the nonprofit sector, says, “A cake is such a fun part of everyday life — ‘OK, it’s my birthday, and I’m also going to support BLM.’ ” In regard to her straightforward messaging, she says, “It also attracts the right people that I want to be a part of building this business with me and supporting what I’m doing.” Catch Arrington listening to Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, and Earth, Wind & Fire when she’s in the kitchen. —EM

Cookies and Chill

Established: February 2019

Owner: Mitzi Avila

Specialties: Japanese cheesecake, conchas, cookies

“People are telling me that my Japanese cheesecake changes their life,” says Mitzi Avila of her jiggly, airy, delicate creations. While the founder of the home baking service Cookies and Chill originally served only its namesake creation, she’s become known for her lineup of international treats.  

After moving to Richmond from Mexico two years ago, the freelance interior designer started spending more hours in the kitchen and eventually formed her baking business. With more time on her hands once the pandemic hit, Avila began to experiment with making labor-intensive Japanese cheesecake. During time spent studying in Japan, a friend taught her an authentic recipe. On a whim she added it to the menu, and it sold out immediately. Shortly after, Avila introduced artisanal Mexican conchas and tres leches cake to the menu as well. The 30-year-old says, “I think it is something that tastes like Mexico; I can say this is my country.” —EM

The Weekly Bake

Established: June 2020

Owner: Jeanne Boisineau

Specialties: Breads, brownies, candies

With mostly wholesale customers from boutique hotels to private clients, Jeanne Boisineau saw the sales of her candy company, Superior Creamery & Confections, come to a halt due to COVID-19. One night, the 55-year-old dreamed of boxing baked goods. Looking for a way to generate revenue, Boisineau took it as a sign from the universe and launched The Weekly Bake, a subscription-style treat service. Each box contains a bread or breakfast item, a sweet dessert, and a bag of candy, with a focus on local purveyors, seasonal flavors and holidays. “I thought it would last two to three weeks, and it’s been insane,” she says of her growing business.

A movie casting professional for 20 years, the VCU alum was born into a family of bakers, but it wasn’t until she worked alongside confectioners in Rome while traveling abroad that Boisineau decided to take the leap. “I stopped working and went to pastry school,” says the Detroit native. —EM

Karmalita’s

Established: September 2019

Owner: Andréa Johnson

Specialties: S’mores bars, flavored marshmallows

Even though recreational baker Andréa Johnson had cooked professionally in restaurants and aboard a cruise ship, the full-time phlebotomist never thought she could make baking her career, but with the encouragement of her daughter, Johnson took the leap and launched Karmalita’s, which offers catering and custom orders online and pops up at local events such as the RVA Black Farmers Market.

“I always talked about owning my own bakery, but as a single parent, financial stability was my main focus,” Johnson says. “I was heavily encouraged by my daughter, Karma, and [I] started Karmalita’s with her very much in mind. Due to her nut/seed allergy, I wanted to create something that could be nut-free and still be enjoyed by everyone, regardless [of whether] they’re allergic or not.”

Johnson’s ’mallows come in a variety of inventive flavors, including churro, cotton candy and lime-jalapeno, as well as the classic vanilla, which Johnson features in her popular s’mores bars, along with chocolate ganache and a buttery graham cracker crust. —SG