Cake Bake Shop Is Officially Carmel's Most Beautiful Restaurant And Top Work Place 2021
IndyStar Top Workplaces 2021: The Cake Bake Shop
It’s challenging to be unhappy when surrounded by rows of decadent sparkling desserts, giant pink mushrooms straight out of a fairy tale garden, chandeliers and joyous people celebrating life.
So perhaps it’s unsurprising that The Cake Bake Shop, an Instagram-worthy restaurant and bakery with locations in Broad Ripple and Carmel, was among the Top Workplace winners.
“You are a part of someone's special day, whether it be their birthday, we have weddings, we have (baby) sprinkles, we have baby showers, we have all kinds of events, Christmas parties, and especially whenever COVID shut (things) down and people got back together, they hadn't seen each other in a year,” said Samantha Carroll a server and bartender at Cake Bake in Carmel. “That’s awesome to be a part of that.”
There was a woman who was in hospice care who wanted one last tea party before she passed away. And Caroll has had people celebrate their cancer remission at the shop. Some visited because it was on their bucket list.
How Indystar voted:Top Workplaces find ways to stay connected during the pandemic
Baker Gwendolyn Rogers opened the first Cake Bake Shop location in Broad Ripple in 2014 after she won a baking competition in Europe.
The bakery serves a variety of shimmering desserts from its well-known Gwendolyn's Famous Earl's Court Chocolate Cake to sparkling cookies, as well as cocktails and food. The shop also ships cakes to all 50 states, mailing out roughly 150 each week.
Theresa Tymoski, human resources manager at Cake Bake, said part of what makes Cake Bake a great place to work is that they try to promote from within, by using opportunities such as their supervisor in training program where employees can shadow managers.
"We want people who want to stick around and grow, and I think people really see that when we're coming to them and asking them what they want for their future, even though they're just a server," Tymoski said.
Carroll, 35, has worked for Cake Bake for almost two years, driving an hour to work each day because she loves what she does and the people she works with. She says it's the best place she's ever worked, and she makes better money than she has in the past at other restaurants.
She's currently in the supervisor in training program so she can eventually become a manager. Apart from the chance to get promoted, Carroll enjoys her coworkers, managers and the owner herself.
"If you ever stopped by there, you see some lady fixing something on the outside and if you've never met Gwendolyn, that's herself," Carroll said. "She is not above or below, doing anything on her own."
Bottom Line
Founded: 2014
Central Indiana locations: 2
Description: A fairytale-like bakery and restaurant
Employees in central Indiana: 151
Call IndyStar reporter Kaitlin Lange at 317-432-9270. Follow her on Twitter: @kaitlin_lange.
