Hi, I'm Shana ("SHAY-nuh"), the cake artist behind Bella Bakes. I'm a self-taught baker based in the SF Bay Area with a passion for crafting beautiful and delicious cakes, cupcakes and treats for special occasions. I have very fond memories of baking with my mom from a young age, and I’ve always been fascinated by the decadent world of pastry arts. As a child and young adult, music was my primary outlet for creative expression, but as my lifestyle shifted with parenthood, baking took over as my artistic medium.

 

Just like with music, I find that baking requires a delicate balance of technique, precision, improvisation and interpretation to create something beautiful, and I love the process of bringing a customer's vision of a celebratory treat to life. After perfecting my craft over the past several years making custom treats for family and friends, I decided to pursue a home baking business to share my passion with the broader community.

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When I’m not covered in flour or piping buttercream, I’m working by day in corporate philanthropy, and spending as much time as I can with my beautiful family, including my husband (business advisor and relentless champion), daughter (kitchen assistant extraordinaire, who’s quickly developing her own baking and decorating skills) and son (expert taste tester and my most enthusiastic salesman). I am also a volunteer baker with Cake4Kids, a wonderful organization that helps deliver custom birthday cakes to children in foster care and homeless shelters, and other at-risk youth.

Bella Bakes is a nod to my maternal great-grandmother Bella, who I'm actually named after - Shana means "beautiful" in Yiddish!