Sisters Jenn Bonner and Tara Riddell developed a love for baking as children with their grandmothers.
Their nona on their mother’s side taught them traditional Italian recipes and their grandmother on their father’s side taught them British recipes.
It’s the combination of traditional scratch baking with fresh ingredients and their knowledge of modern tastes and trends that has allowed them to grow.
“We are crazy busy and the business just keeps growing,” said Bonner.
They both love to bake but were on very different career paths before they decided to go into business together.
Bonner studied accounting in college and worked 12 years as a commercial underwriter and Riddell studied psychology at the University of Guelph.
The familial aroma of baked goods and demand from friends and family for their comfort-food creations meant they were never far from the kitchen.
Riddell was the first to take up baking professionally and worked 19 years in the bakery at Zehrs.
The sisters opened their first Decadently Yours bakery in Brantford in January of 2013. It was a test run of sorts and the commute from Guelph each day challenged their convictions. When their landlord hiked the rent they started looking for a location in Guelph and in January of 2015 set up shop at the corner of Neeve and Surrey Streets.
Their proximity to downtown has made them a popular stop for public transit commuters, local businesses, police and firefighters who routinely pop in for a coffee, a cupcake and conversation. They have even become community ambassadors to new residents in the city.
“Some of our more recent customers are from the new condo towers down the street,” said Riddell. “They often come in here to find out what is going on in the city and learn more about their new home.”
The sisters offer a variety of baked goods including cake, pies and cookies but cupcakes are their specialty and the flavours – 140 and counting - are limited, only by theirs and their customers’ imagination. They have 10 of their most popular flavours available at all times for walk ins and those include gluten-free and vegan options.
Decadently Yours wares are regular features at many community and charitable events around town and they have even established their own annual charitable event, Christmas in July.
“This year we raised $1,500 for Big Brothers Big Sisters,” said Bonner. “We are getting ready this week for our third year at Taste of Guelph.”
Cupcakes have become a popular alternative to traditional cakes for all occasions including, birthdays, weddings and anniversaries. Bonner said she expects the popularity to grow even more and is prepared to grow the business along with it.
“After three years we are still growing,” she said. “We still have lots of room to grow.”
