Today we’d like to introduce you to Bailey Rowland.
Hi Bailey, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Creme de la Cocoa in St. Augustine started as a passion project and has grown into full-on dessert studio with a serious reputation.
Creme de la Cocoa was created by Pastry Chef Nils Rowland and his wife Bailey Rowland. Both worked in high-end hotels and private clubs and noticed that trained pastry chefs were becoming rare, so they decided to build a business that could employ pastry pros and inspire new ones.
They opened Creme de la Cocoa around 2015 as a small dessert operation inside of DOS Coffee & Wine. Over time, that “simple love for desserts” grew into it’s own brand and following. As their reputation and demand increased, they moved out of the shared space and into a dedicated storefront.
By July 2016, they opened their own shop at 299 San Marco Ave, just across the street from their original DOS location, giving Creme de la Cocoa a bigger kitchen, display cases and room for their team.
Today, Creme de la Cocoa is a boutique dessert studio known for:
-Custom wedding and occasion cakes
-Elegant pastries and artful plated desserts
-Handcrafted chocolates, French macarons, marshmallows, cookies and more.
Chef Nils has also become a recognizable face on Food Network, competing on shows like Cake Wars Christmas, Halloween Wars (multiple seasons), Holiday Wars, Sweet Empire: Winter Wars and Big Time Bake, which has only boosted the bakeries profile.
Their own social and site language sums it up nicely: they “started with a simple love for desserts” and now have a storefront off San Marco with “an incredible team” and loyal local and tourist following.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Every business has it’s own struggles. It’s how the business and the team can pivot with the times that make the company stronger and persevere.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Bailey and Nils are very proud of the community we have built around our business both within our team and also our loyal customers. They keep us wanting to keep doing what we do day in and day out.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Bailey and Nils are husband and wife and actually grew up together in Gainesville, FL. Both of them have a love for art, finer things, and making people happy. Creating things for their clients’ most special days and holidays to bring them joy is just a natural fit.
Contact Info:
- Website: cremedelacocoa.com
- Instagram: cremedelacocoa
- Facebook: cremedelacocoa
