Meet Chelsea Berman | Owner & Pastry Chef

We had the good fortune of connecting with Chelsea Berman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Chelsea, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my success is absolutely the community I am a part of and the amazing support I have been shown in my first year of business. In the end without every single one of these incredible people and businesses ordering, interacting, spreading the word, and enjoying my food I would not be able to continue pursuing this huge dream. I feel so lucky to be given the opportunity to bring a special kind of joy to people through beautiful, delicious custom desserts that celebrate the most important occasions in their lives.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
The last thing that I thought would happen in 2020 was for a global pandemic to hit and be furloughed from my full-time position as a pastry chef at a high-volume catering company. I started baking from home for friends and neighbors to pass the time, calm the anxiety I felt at such an unsure future, and support myself while out of work. As my furlough became longer and the future less sure, I decide to go all-in and use my very small savings to start my business. I bought a website and uploaded my first menu online in late April 2020. I was immediately slammed with orders and quickly began expanding what I originally thought would be a way to spend the time during quarantine. I worked farmer’s markets in the summer of 2020 and it went great, so I permanently left my previous pastry chef position and went full-time working on my dream. In October 2020 I became a fully licensed bakery and began renting kitchen space to produce my custom cakes, cookies and other desserts. Although a lifelong dream, I never expected to be starting my business at 25 years old, and I had to learn a LOT very quickly. Being the only employee and covering everything in the business myself, it was very difficult as I worked to build my dream from the ground up. Working 24+ hours straight, working without a day off, and losing sleep over work anxiety became the norm for me. But when you’re building something you love that means everything to you, you never give up and do whatever it takes. In the end you become stronger and have more to be proud of! I have huge plans for the future and am so excited to continue to expand, grow and share my pastry art with the word!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We’d definitely stop at Lucile’s (Boulder location) for brunch! While in Boulder we’d check out Chautauqua Park and hike the flatirons, then finish the day with food and drinks down on Pearl St. at Avanti F&B. Of course we’d see a concert at Red Rocks while they were here; it’s my absolute favorite place to be in summer! I love to plan a day trip to Longmont with visitors, starting with BBQ at Georgia Boys and then visiting some of the breweries like Bootstrap and Oskar Blues. The best way to finish up a day in Longmont is at Cheese Importer with a meal in their gorgeous outdoor seating and pick up some amazing imported cheese to take home. If you also make a stop at Moxie Bread in Lafayette and Il Porcellino on Tennyson St. in Denver for incredible cured meats, you’re all set for some unbelievable charcuterie later! It’s also definitely worth planning a day to visit the bars and breweries in the RiNo district, and get some awesome food truck eats! Some must-visit food places I love to take people to while in town are: Guard and Grace, Izakaya/Sushi Den, Cafe Brazil, Williams & Graham, Postino (for board and bottle night!), Fire on the Mountain, Domo Japanese Restaurant, and The Post Brewery (for amazing hot chicken!).

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I’d love to shoutout Il Porcellino for producing the best cured meats and sandwiches in Denver. They are an awesome business full of awesome people! I’d also love to shout out Otisa Eads, who is an HR and systems strategist for her encouragement and support.

Website: https://www.phreshbakedgoods.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/phreshbakedgoods/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-berman

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/phreshbakedgoods/

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/phresh-baked-goods-westminster

Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B117_EAGvP0

Image Credits
Spencer Chambers Photography