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When Sherita Semple started Trita Treatz, she quickly realized the lack of support and resources that bakeries and cafes in Syracuse had access to. When local news crew covered Trita Treatz, her business began to really take off. But it’s not everyday that a small business gets that kind of coverage, so Semple decided to change that.

“I was thinking there’s a lot of festivals like the (Buffalo) Wing Festival (in Syracuse), but there isn’t anything for just bakers,” Semple said. “I wanted to get smaller bakeries in the forefront and to be seen.”

With the help of Jubilee Homes of Syracuse and the Syracuse City Council, Semple developed the Bakers Expo — the very first of its kind in Syracuse. On Thursday, the grand ballroom of the Marriott Syracuse Downtown hotel was filled with booths from over 20 local bakeries and cafés.

Each bakery offered a unique curation of baked goods, including classics like chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes with sprinkles and fudge brownies. Some vendors, like Worth the Kavity, offered elevated desserts, like individual strawberry cheesecake cups and chocolate covered strawberries.

The Syracuse Common Council approved one million dollars from the archive funds to be used for CNY arts programs. Rita Paniagua, a Syracuse Common Councilor At-Large, wanted to expand the definition of arts to include culinary arts and bakeries. She then heard Semple’s idea and began the creation of the Bakers Expo.

The Bakers Expo partnered with other groups that have programs to help the small bakers grow their businesses. Expanding on Semple’s vision of building up small business, Paniagua said there were three main goals implemented when creating the Bakers Expo.

One goal, Paniagua said, is to increase the client base of bakers in the community. The second is to give bakers a place where they can network with each other and do business with each other, and the third is for each bakery or café to be a marketing exhibit.

Each business offered free samples of their treats and larger desserts for guests to purchase. The convention housed a variety of local businesses, with some in their first few months of operation and others trying to rebuild after COVID-19.

The Syracuse Baker Expo brought bakers of all skill levels together. Each bakery that attend offered a unique assortment of baked goods including cookies, brownies and cupcakes.
Sarah Russo | Contributing Writer

Patty Johnson, the owner of It’s Cookie Season, opened her bakery a little over a year ago. Like Semple, Johnson noticed the challenge of getting noticed as a new business and trying to build up a clientele, so she joined the Expo for exposure.

“I wanted to have an opportunity to get my products out to the Syracuse public,” Johnson said. “And I just want people to enjoy it because I know it’s good product.”

Stephanie Venezia, owner of Aurora’s Café and Gifts, has had her business for six months. Like most bakers at the convention, Venezia figured the event would be great for a newer business like hers.

Tony Filosi and Sam Danler sat at a table filled with small treats from different booths they’d picked out: cookies studded with candies, strawberry cheesecake and bite-sized brownies. Filosi, a Syracuse local, invited Danler, an avid home baker, to peruse the event with him.

“I knew Sam loved baking, so I wanted to take her out and get inspired,” Filosi said. “There’s tons of great delicious foods here, so even I’m inspired.”

Filosi and Danler made it an effort to visit each booth to learn about new places, check out the offerings and taste some desserts. Danler was inspired by the amount of bakers in the area, so she wants to try to make a cheesecake, she said..

Although the Bakers Expo is a brand new event, Paniagua and Semple see the importance of creating a space for small businesses in the area. Startups, home caterers and storefront businesses alike were able to meet with potential new customers, network with each other and most importantly show off their desserts.

Paniagua hopes this is the first of many Bakers Expo events in Syracuse.

“It already seems like this will go on forever, with all the people that came out,” Paniagua said. “We’re going to keep this going, see what happens and hopefully have one next year.”

Published on April 2, 2023 at 10:08 pm