The new C&P Baking Co. on East Franklin Street. (Photo by Jackie DiBartolomeo)
After moving to Richmond last year in search of a more fertile ground for her baking aspirations, Sherwin Pilley has found her spot in Shockoe Bottom.
Pilley is set to open C&P Baking Co. today at 1717 E. Franklin St. The 3,800-square-foot space previously housed tattoo shop House of Wands, which closed in September.
C&P Baking Co. will specialize in French patisserie and Haitian cuisine, which Pilley said is an ode to her classical pastry-making training and her Haitian heritage.
The shop will sell a variety of pastries such as homemade croissants, fresh bread, buttermilk biscuits and seasonal cake slice flavors like strawberry lemon and blackberry with cream cheese frosting.
It also will offer a host of Haitian dishes like legume, a mashed vegetable dish with rice and beans, and a Haitian patty, a baked puff pastry filled with chicken, peppers and onions.
A Boston native, Pilley has worn many hats over the past 15 years. She attended Northeastern University, where she quickly realized she had a passion for baking.
While an undergrad, she concurrently received an associate degree in culinary arts from renowned Paris-based culinary school Le Cordon Bleu’s Cambridge, Massachusetts, satellite campus. She went on to get a bachelor’s degree in baking and pastry arts from the school’s satellite campus in Pasadena, California, in 2010.
Her path veered in the 2010s, and she worked in managerial and operations positions at nonprofits and companies like Wayfair and GoDaddy.
“I always fell back into baking,” she said. “It just transpired that I was going to quit my job and do it full time.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pilley and her husband, who hails from Chesapeake, decided to move to Lynchburg. There Pilley went all in on her baking dreams and opened her first brick-and-mortar location nearby in Forest, a bake shop called Cakes and Pipers Bakery.
The shop opened in March 2021 and closed the following year. Pilley said there was not a huge market for its specialties of gluten-free and vegan pastries, which led her to decide to move on from the business.
“That’s such a small, marginal amount of people who need that in that area,” Pilley said. “It seemed like slim pickings for what I was envisioning, so we wanted to move to Richmond.”
Sherwin Pilley is selling her homemade pastries in Shockoe Bottom starting this week. (Courtesy Pilley)
Pilley moved to Richmond last April, selling her baked goods at pop-up events in places like Brambly Park and at the Richmond Night Market under the Cakes and Pipers brand.
Yet while she enjoyed the pop-ups, Pilley knew she wanted to try her hand again at a full-time bakery. Her search spanned the city and Henrico and eventually led her to the East Franklin Street spot.
With its proximity to Main Street Station and its large front windows, the space had potential for a homey community hub, Pilley said. It will have seating for guests on both the main floor and in a loft area.
“We said we were going to save up and find a place that speaks to our soul,” Pilley said. “When we walked in, we were like, ‘This has to be the place.’ It’s nice to be able to offer a space where you can relax and enjoy a pastry, have a cup of coffee and get to people-watch.”
Pilley signed the lease for the space last October, and soon after rebranded the former Cakes and Pipers Bakery to C&P Baking Co.
The shop has a staff of five, including two working the customer-facing side of the bake shop and two helping with the cooking and baking. Pilley said that, along with being the sole owner, she does the majority of the culinary work. The bake shop will likely hire more employees over its first few months, she added.
The official grand opening for C&P Baking Co. is Thursday, March 20. Hours for the shop are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The new C&P Baking Co. on East Franklin Street. (Photo by Jackie DiBartolomeo)
After moving to Richmond last year in search of a more fertile ground for her baking aspirations, Sherwin Pilley has found her spot in Shockoe Bottom.
Pilley is set to open C&P Baking Co. today at 1717 E. Franklin St. The 3,800-square-foot space previously housed tattoo shop House of Wands, which closed in September.
C&P Baking Co. will specialize in French patisserie and Haitian cuisine, which Pilley said is an ode to her classical pastry-making training and her Haitian heritage.
The shop will sell a variety of pastries such as homemade croissants, fresh bread, buttermilk biscuits and seasonal cake slice flavors like strawberry lemon and blackberry with cream cheese frosting.
It also will offer a host of Haitian dishes like legume, a mashed vegetable dish with rice and beans, and a Haitian patty, a baked puff pastry filled with chicken, peppers and onions.
A Boston native, Pilley has worn many hats over the past 15 years. She attended Northeastern University, where she quickly realized she had a passion for baking.
While an undergrad, she concurrently received an associate degree in culinary arts from renowned Paris-based culinary school Le Cordon Bleu’s Cambridge, Massachusetts, satellite campus. She went on to get a bachelor’s degree in baking and pastry arts from the school’s satellite campus in Pasadena, California, in 2010.
Her path veered in the 2010s, and she worked in managerial and operations positions at nonprofits and companies like Wayfair and GoDaddy.
“I always fell back into baking,” she said. “It just transpired that I was going to quit my job and do it full time.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pilley and her husband, who hails from Chesapeake, decided to move to Lynchburg. There Pilley went all in on her baking dreams and opened her first brick-and-mortar location nearby in Forest, a bake shop called Cakes and Pipers Bakery.
The shop opened in March 2021 and closed the following year. Pilley said there was not a huge market for its specialties of gluten-free and vegan pastries, which led her to decide to move on from the business.
“That’s such a small, marginal amount of people who need that in that area,” Pilley said. “It seemed like slim pickings for what I was envisioning, so we wanted to move to Richmond.”
Sherwin Pilley is selling her homemade pastries in Shockoe Bottom starting this week. (Courtesy Pilley)
Pilley moved to Richmond last April, selling her baked goods at pop-up events in places like Brambly Park and at the Richmond Night Market under the Cakes and Pipers brand.
Yet while she enjoyed the pop-ups, Pilley knew she wanted to try her hand again at a full-time bakery. Her search spanned the city and Henrico and eventually led her to the East Franklin Street spot.
With its proximity to Main Street Station and its large front windows, the space had potential for a homey community hub, Pilley said. It will have seating for guests on both the main floor and in a loft area.
“We said we were going to save up and find a place that speaks to our soul,” Pilley said. “When we walked in, we were like, ‘This has to be the place.’ It’s nice to be able to offer a space where you can relax and enjoy a pastry, have a cup of coffee and get to people-watch.”
Pilley signed the lease for the space last October, and soon after rebranded the former Cakes and Pipers Bakery to C&P Baking Co.
The shop has a staff of five, including two working the customer-facing side of the bake shop and two helping with the cooking and baking. Pilley said that, along with being the sole owner, she does the majority of the culinary work. The bake shop will likely hire more employees over its first few months, she added.
The official grand opening for C&P Baking Co. is Thursday, March 20. Hours for the shop are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
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Definitely needed in this area! Good luck!
I look forward to trying this – Haitian food is delicious, and a good croissant is always wonderful (and very hard to find)