1 of 9
Courtesy Made. By. Lia.
2 of 9
Courtesy Made. By. Lia.
3 of 9
Courtesy Made. By. Lia.
4 of 9
Courtesy Made. By. Lia.
5 of 9
Courtesy Made. By. Lia.
6 of 9
Courtesy Made. By. Lia.
7 of 9
Courtesy Made. By. Lia.
8 of 9
Courtesy Made. By. Lia.
9 of 9
Courtesy Made. By. Lia.
A bakery from the winner of TLC's Next Great Baker is just one of the new bakeries in St. Louis that have opened amid turbulent circumstances.
Courtesy Made. By. Lia.
Lia Weber recently unveiled a new storefront in Florissant for her craft bakery and wedding cake business, Made. By Lia. The locally renowned cake decorator (and reader favorite for SLM's 2020 A-List Awards for Wedding Cakes and Desserts) says it was her dream to open a bakery in the freestanding brick building at 610 Rue St. Francois, near her home in Old Town Florissant, a place she passed almost daily. Weber and her husband bought the space in May of last year and undertook a complete gutting and reconstruction process, including building out a kitchen.
“I just kept feeling this is what I need to do, not only for my business but for my community and North County,” she says. “I'm really passionate about investing in our community and making the best of every area we can in St. Louis.”
Courtesy Made. By. Lia.
Weber launched a Kickstarter this month to help raise additional funds to open the bakery in lieu of earnings from weddings and other events that were cancelled because of the pandemic. Awards for donations to the Kickstarter include cakes (of course), a pastry of the month club, and a baking class for four.
While customers will have to wait a little longer to enjoy her treats and a cup of North County Roasting Co. coffee in house, Weber is currently doing weekly pop-ups announced on Instagram on Tuesdays at 7 p.m. that can be picked up on Saturdays.
The menu changes weekly, but staples include cake bombs sold by the dozen and the St. Louie Cake, her twist on gooey butter cake—“not as sweet, more cake-like, and a lot lighter.”
Courtesy Made. By. Lia.
Her signature offerings include her chocolate peanut-buttercup cake, featured in People Magazine while she was on Next Great Baker, along with lemon meringue tarts that she made on the show.
Custom requests are also possible, and Weber can create everything from a classic floral-topped wedding cake to a birthday cake resembling mac and cheese. “People went crazy over that,” she says. “We made these adorable little fondant macaroni and used royal icing for the cheese. That was probably one of the most fun cakes I've made.”
Courtesy Made. By. Lia.
Actual mac and cheese is on the menu at Royally Baked, a delivery and catering vegan venture based in St. Charles that launched in February. The new business delivers plant-based main courses and appetizers, as well as “grandiose, indulgent” desserts.
The family-run team headed by JoAnne Peek-Tyson and her husband, Coach, had their own beginnings with veganism three years ago, after seeing the documentary What the Health. “We watched it, and we made a consensus that we're not eating meat or dairy. We did it the day after,” she recalls. “Best decision we ever made.” In her quest to cook vegan at home, JoAnne knew that finding a perfect cookie recipe was a top priority. “I've always made cookies, since I was 11,” she says. Today, highlights include the Duke (a classic vegan chocolate chip with pecans or walnuts) and The Duchess (the former without nuts). These and other cookie options can be ordered in just about every form imaginable, from gluten-free to a 9-inch round sheet cookie to edible, ready-to-bake cookie dough.
Photography by Jessica Rapp
Royally Baked's cookies and brownies will soon be available at nine Schnucks locations across the region. Customers can also look for announcements on Instagram about Royally Baked's social-distanced pop-ups, which allow customers to preorder from a choice of two meal options and a dessert. (Most items on the daily menu are currently available as trays that feed a larger group.) Sides such as cheese garlic bread, which can be ordered frozen or fresh, are particularly popular and offer more flexibility for parties of one or two.
1 of 2
Courtesy of Adelle's Bakery
2 of 2
Courtesy of Adelle's Bakery
Adelle's at Carondelet Bakery, located at 7726 Virginia Avenue, pays homage to the past. Situated in the building that's believed to house the city's oldest bakery, the interior is now a mix of mint green and rose accents, with displays of cake molds, scales, and price charts from the 1930s, along with an original neon bakery sign.
The owner, Kelly Steward, was first inspired by her time cooking at home with her grandmothers. “I have diehard recipes that I've been using for years,” she says, noting her sticky pecan rolls. Today, the menu boasts a few Carondelet Bakery originals, with slight modifications. She uses real butter in place of lard and margarine, for instance, as well as real eggs instead of liquid eggs. The menu changes weekly, with updates posted on Facebook and Instagram on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Customers can place custom orders with 48 hours' notice.
Courtesy of Adelle's Bakery
The bakery is currently open for curbside pickup only, with same-day service on Saturdays. Steward also hosts virtual cake-decorating events, and the space doubles as an incubator kitchen.
From the start, Steward has been encouraged by the response, despite all the challenges. In January, for example, she hosted a soft opening during an ice storm. “I had invited almost 200 people, and 60 people showed up," she says. "It was awesome."
