The bakery, located in the Southern Avenue space formerly occupied by Bearscat Bakehouse, across the street from Mesa Community College, is set to open in May. The trio of bakers plan to serve American and Mexican-themed baked goods and coffee.
Allison, who started baking 14 years ago, was inspired to learn when she got married.
"My wedding cake wasn't the way that I wanted. So that motivated me to start learning because I wanted to do it better," she says.
She enrolled at a local university because she was trying to improve her English, and began selling her baked goods to classmates. As she and her husband moved through Iowa and Nebraska, Allison continued to refine her baking skills.
"I would take my baked goods to Zumba because I used to teach the class," Allison says.
Cielito Rosa Bakery will feature macarons on the menu.
Cielito Rosa Bakery
When she moved to Arizona in 2020, Allison joined CrossFit as an instructor and revisited a familiar tradition — bringing desserts to her exercise classes. Her boss encouraged her to bring her baked goods to the gym and sell them to the members.
Stewart attended Allison's classes that she taught at CrossFit and says her delicious baked goods created a buzz whenever she brought them to the gym.
"We wanted to support her and help her with her business, but we thought it was going to be a small thing. Maybe take it to the farmers market or just do it through Facebook, and get orders at the gym," Stewart says.
But then fellow co-owner Zamudio's husband found a location and encouraged the friends to check out the place. When Allison, Stewart and Zamudio took a scouting trip to the location, they knew things were getting serious.
"If we want to do it, we need to do it. So, it was finding the location that really made us sink our eyes into the idea of opening up the business," Stewart says.
Although Zamudio's husband was key in helping find the location for the bakery, she admits she isn't a fan of sweets. Allison's baking changed her mind.
"I am a fan of Yvonne's sweets," she says. Zamudio liked them so much and knew they were going to sell. Although she's new to baking, she admits she is "a creative who loves to do stuff with her hands and loves learning."
Until it officially opens, catering is available at Cielito Rosa Bakery.
Cielito Rosa Bakery
What's on the menu?
The trio plans to showcase cupcakes, brownies, macarons, pies, and mini conchas — a Mexican sweet bread. Stewart explains a traditional concha is just "dough that is made with flour with a topping that has a different flavor and color." Recently they have added designs to the top showcasing a rose and a bunny for Easter.They also plan to serve mini pies and chocolate-covered strawberries with coffee.
"We are going to change our menu weekly or every two weeks but we will likely sell chocolate, red velvet, classic vanilla, birthday cake and strawberry cupcakes. We also want to add Latino culture and include flavors like horchata and churro," Allison says.
The cookies will feature flavors like chocolate chip and churro, as well as purple sugar cookies.
Allison, Stewart and Zamudio are working on opening their physical location, but in the interim, they are accepting catering orders. They are particularly excited about a machine that can make images out of frosting.
"That's going to be big focus — making custom cookies, whether it's a wedding, birthday or other event," Stewart says.
For catering orders, they generally need a week's notice.
Several flavors of macarons will be available at the bakery.
Cielito Rosa Bakery
"We are also going to have vegan-friendly cookies and they will start at $4.50," Zamudio says.
They currently bake in the kitchen at the forthcoming bakery, a space that is painted a bright shade of pink. This was intentional.
"The name is Cielito Rosa so it means pink sky or heaven. So that is why everything is pink," Zamudio says. "The vibe is casual and charming. In the restroom there is a selfie mirror that says 'Hello Gorgeous,' so ladies can pose on their way out if they want," Stewart says.
The trio is hard at work and getting ready for the opening. Baking starts at five in the morning, but these friends don't mind.
"We're laughing all day. We love each other," Allison says. "We just connected and it was organic. It has been a dream, the team of us wanting to do something independent and establish a business owned by Hispanic women."
Cielito Rosa Bakery
1720 W. Southern Ave., C1, Mesa
"We're laughing all day. We love each other," Allison says. "We just connected and it was organic. It has been a dream, the team of us wanting to do something independent and establish a business owned by Hispanic women."
