Cake Buzz: The "Cooperative Kitchen's" Recipe for Success!

Congratulations to member, Annette Villaverde, owner Ladybugluggage Gourmet Cookies and Cakes! Annette and five other small businesses who share 1,475 sq.ft of commercial kitchen space at Wooden Spoon Catering Company, Princeton, NJ, made the cover of their local newspaper February 10, 2010 issue!

Confectionately called "The Cooperative Kitchen", Wooden Spoon Catering Company, owned by Chris Crawford, has become an incubator kitchen for member Annette Villaverde (wearing the cap), Ladybugluggage Gourmet Cookies and Cakes, Nicole Wilkins Bergman, Simply Nic's Artisanal Shortbread, Jen Carson, Jen's Cakes & Pastries, co-owners Marilyn Besner and Pirosca Toth, Moonlight Bakers, and Pamela Giggie-Accetta, La Bella Cakery. The fact that these savvy women entrepreneurs are all small business owners, wives, and mothers is a common ground that has proved to be a recipe for success.

Annette learned about the availability of commercial space at Wooden Spoon Catering Company through word of mouth at her son's school. It was the right opportunity at the right time; Annette had honed her decorating skills with Colette Peters, Colette Cakes, Lauri Ditunno, Cake Alchemy, and Ruth Drennan, Ruth Drennan Cakes, and was ready to take her fledging business to the next level. In addition, Annette's hedgehog cupcakes were selected as a winning design for Martha Stewart's 2009 Cutest Cupcake Contest.

NYC Cake Decorators Meetup wishes "The Cooperative Kitchen" much success. And to our readers, we invite you to read the inspirational article about the "Cooperative Kitchen" written by Pat Tanner, "7 Women, 1 Kitchen: Savoring the Business of Food".