Award-winning pastry chef Michelle Klem had been looking for the right place to open her bakery for five years, patiently waiting for the ideal space to come along.
"I looked at a lot of spaces in Fairfield County, but I kept coming back to Saugatuck," she said. "This area was calling me."
Tucked into a little nook across from Dunville's and next to Roly Poly sandwich shop and 4 Brothers Pizza, Klem found her home. The buttery yellow walls and creamy white counters evoke the ingredients that go into Klem's custom cakes, dainty little cookies, and cupcakes. Trays of petite Parisian macaroons, oversize chocolate chip cookies and chocolate dipped biscotti are temptingly displayed in the cases and storefront window.
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Klem's passion for baking began as a child. She said she always knew she would pursue a career in culinary arts.
"I've wanted to bake as long as I can remember," she said. "It comes from a very deep place."
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She holds a degree in Pastry Arts from the acclaimed College of Culinary Arts at Johnson and Wales University and also earned a degree in Art History from New York University. For more than 20 years, Klem worked in pastry kitchens throughout Manhattan, including The Rainbow Room, the Plaza Hotel and the New York Hilton Hotel.
Since 2004, she's worked with local caterers in the Fairfield County area winning multiple awards for whimsical cakes – she's taken home both the silver and bronze medal in the Oklahoma State Sugar Art Festival, and her Gingerbread Hot Air Balloon Cake won "Most Creative" at the Greenwich Junior League competition and auction. Klem cites a giant, six-foot armadillo shaped cake as her most noteworthy creation.
"I made that cake for the premiere of the play, 'Steel Magnolias' on Broadway. It served 500 people," she said. "I used red velvet cake inside. It was a lot of fun."
Klem calls baking, "gratifying" and enjoys sharing her passion with both amateur and professional bakers in classes that she offers throughout the year. On February 13, from 4 to 5 p.m. is the Valentine's Day cookie decorating class for kids ($35 each), and that same day from 6-8 is the Valentine's Day cake decorating class for adults ($75). All classes are listed on her Web site www.cakesuite.com
CakeSuite is located at 47 Saugatuck Avenue and open Monday to Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Custom cake consultations are by appointment only, but a selection of pre-made cakes, cupcakes and cookies are also available.
