The joys of my job!

Heck, someone has to do it!!!

On Sunday, we drove to Washington DC and now I’m back….exhausted. 22 hours of driving!! (well, me being the passenger and brilliant co-pilot). We got home at 1am last night and oh my goodness, it was worth it!

The cupcakes, the people, the scenery…Washington DC is stunningly beautiful, tons of fresh air and friendly people!! What I found really remarkable were the amount of trees in this town.

Our only problem on the way down was driving across the border with my “Weapon of Massive Health”….a Raw Collard Wrap!!

Kelly Childs at the airport with a dangerous collard wrap in hand!
Dangerous veggies!

It freaked the border police so much in fact, we were sent to the Homeland Security Building to get our car searched. As crazy as it sounds, it is the truth and to be honest, the border guard wasn’t too nice about it. I did get to keep my healthy green wrap, all the while pleading my case that I only eat fresh ORGANIC REAL veggies (and nothing else) and that McDonald’s at the rest stops along the highway were not an option for us.

Back to business… As many of you may know by now, we have secured a new location for our bakery at 401 Brant St in downtown Burlington, ON. And we are soooo excited. (what an understatement!!!!!).

A picture of 401 Brand Street before it was Kelly's Bake Shoppe
Could this be any cuter??!! This is a Historical Century building begging to be a cupcakery!! Don’t you think?

To pull this off to the best of our ability, with the help of a design team, we decided to further scope the best of the best bakeries and cupcakeries to develop our brand and help us with details big or small.

Of course the two BIG players on our list of places to see was Sprinkles and Georgetown Cupcake. We already visited Sprinkles in Beverly Hills, CA in March (our West Coast Cupcake Adventure) and now we were off to see Georgetown Cupcake along with other ones….especially one close to my heart and ideally, what I believe in (Vegan, Healthy food) and that would be none other than Sticky Fingers Bakery in Washington DC. Yes, Doron Petersan’s Sticky Fingers Sweets and Eats….she is the BEAUTIFUL baker that won Cupcake Wars this year for a 2012 episode!!!

First up: Georgetown Cupcakes!

Kelly Childs waiting in line at Georgetown Cupcakes
Yes….I waited in line!! My daughter, Erinn, would never believe it so here is the proof!


Kelly Childs standing in front of Georgetown Cupcakes

Kelly Childs admiring the selection that Georgetown Cupcakes has to offer
enjoying the sights and the crazy people (including me) waiting patiently for CUPCAKES!
Kelly Childs holding up a Georgetown Cupcakes bag
Very professional packaging.
Kelly Childs inspecting a Georgetown Cupcakes bag
My ‘treasure’ to take home…a dozen cupcakes and only one of them (vegan) I can sample.
Workers building and packing boxes full of cupcakes at Georgetown Cupcakes
Packing hundreds of boxes all day long (literally) at Georgetown Cupcake
Workers rushing around Georgetown Cupcakes
more chaos at Georgetown….

My Vegan “LOVE” Bakery and also our place for breakfast and lunch while in D.C.: Sticky Fingers! This is the place to go for VEGAN Chai Lattes, Cappuccinos and Breakfast Sandwiches….and of course CUPCAKES!! Don’t miss it in Washington!! Doron is the winner of Cupcake Wars this year and has really made a HUGE name for herself (AND… she’s done a book too!). You can order her FABULOUS baking book here. This cookbook has all her recipes that have made her famous.

Sticky Fingers Bakery in Washington D.C.
Sticky Fingers Bakery Washington D.C.
Doron Petersan of Sticky Fingers Bakery hugging Kelly Childs of Kelly's Bake Shoppe
The beautiful, Doron Petersan (owner of Sticky Fingers) and ME!
A selection of some of what Sticky Fingers Bakery has to offer.
Sticky Fingers Bakery – gorgeous lineup of goodies.
A closeup of the cupcakes that Sticky Fingers Bakery has to offer.
Sticky Fingers’ Red Velvet and Pina Colada.
Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwich from Sticky Fingers Bakery
‘Grilled Cheeze’ with Daiya and Onions, Tomatoes and Temeph Bacon.
Vegan Cinnamon Buns from Sticky Fingers Bakery
Sticky Fingers’ Cinnamon Buns – vegan style.
A package of 4 cupcakes from Sticky Fingers Bakery
Our 4 pack for the road back home (we actually did two 4 packs!)

Arrival in Philedelphia….about an hour and half northeast of Washington DC. We came here to visit Sweet Freedom Bakery. This is the place to go to for dairy, egg, peanut, refined-sugar, soy, wheat, gluten allergies and for Kosher goodies too. Hidden away off the main drag in Philedelphia, it is the ‘go-to’ healthy place for delicious goodies.

Philadelphia's own Sweet Freedom Bakery
Philedelphia’s Sweet Freedom Bakery
Sidewalk chalk board explaining all of the allergies that Sweet Freedom Bakery caters to
All the allergies they look after…..
Kelly Childs ordering from Sweet Freedom Bakery
A cute, cozy place full of allergy-friendly baked goods.
Cupcakes and Donuts from Sweet Freedom Bakery in a box
Vegan and Gluten Free, Soy-Free, Refined Sugar Free & Kosher
Kelly Childs standing in front of a Sweet Freedom Bakery sign

On to the next: Bethlehem PA!!! Here we come! Vegan Treats!! OMG. This is the bakery that put richness and delectableness on the map. I can’t say they’re totally ‘good‘ for you but I can say they are very delicious! ….and animal-friendly too.

Vegan Treats Bakery from Bethlehem Pennsylvania
This is the FAMOUS “Vegan Treats” in Bethlehem PA
Miniature cakes available at Vegan Treats bakery in Bethlehem
Rich and sweetly, ‘over the top’ desserts 100% Animal Friendly
Another shot of a massive selection of vegan cupcakes
Vegan Treats = Too many treats to choose from!

We actually had a couple of hours to enjoy ourselves away from the cupcakes and sweet stuff and have dinner on a patio….sunny, warm and just perfect.

Kelly Childs strolling through a hot and humid Washington DC street
Strolling in Washington DC (98F with the humidex)

Back HOME!! This was the selection back home at LettuceLove Cafe this morning…..”Bellyache Central”. We arrived at 8am today and made a carbohydrate festival for all staff to sample. I’m proud of myself and nibbled on nothing. I think I was still exhausted from being in a car so long. I guess we nibbled too much in the car too!! I’m sure that was it. All I wanted was a GREEN SMOOTHIE to get back on track!! Help.

All of the treats Kelly Childs collected on her vacation are ready to eat on the tables of Lettuce Love Cafe
Back home at LettuceLove Cafe today with all our samples!!!
Chocolate and Peanut butter vegan cake
Chocolate and Peanut Butter and…..omg. VEGAN.
Erinn weatherbie stuffing her face with vegan treats
Funny Erinn…..you look like a……a BIRD!
Michael Rennie finishing off a Vegan Treats Cinnamon Bun
Poor Mike can’t say no to good food. I have no idea why he doesn’t weigh more.
This was Vegan Treats Cinnamon Bun- Cream Cheeze Frosting.
Vegan brownies and vegan cheesecake
Vegan Brownies and Cheezecake.

I had a fantastic time in Washington D.C. and driving home back through Philedelphia and Bethlehem PA. I think we’ve moved closer to the idea of what this new bakery concept should look like and also, what it should taste like. I’m moving closer to the feeling I want everyone to have when they waltz through the door of our new bakery and to be able to leave with a smile on their face…..Healthier, beautiful, inspiring goodies……To be catapulted back through time to connect to a younger us. I think we ALL have that deeply rooted inside our very being, don’t you? I personally can’t wait.

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Kelly is the co-founder and co-owner (with her daughter Erinn) of the ever popular, Kelly's Bake Shoppe, where 1000's flock to on a weekly basis. She lives in Grey County with her two cats Daisy & Tuna. You can find Kelly developing and creating marketing content and building new business ideas with her daughter Erinn. They have the ever popular podcast: Cupcakes and Consciousness on Apple and Spotify. Tune into their latest shows. Kelly & Erinn are now writing their 2nd cookbook that is due to come out in winter 2023.

2 Comments

  1. Wow!! What an incredible trip! Thanks so much for posting. Can't wait for you guys to open on Brant Street!

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