Rohnert Park Gets Sweeter with New Cake and Cookie Venue

The first cake Carolyn Bessé made was in the shape of Cookie Monster — she’d wanted to learn how to make a cake for her son’s first birthday, so she took a cake-making class. That was 20 years ago.

For Bessé, baking custom cakes and cookies is more of a passion than a career. So, two years ago, she decided to take a risk. Bessé launched her own business, called Your Sweet Expectations, at Pegi’s Catering in Santa Rosa.

Her cakes took off. Wedding cakes, birthday cakes, themed cakes for Valentine’s Day and Halloween — you name it, she baked it. The entrepreneur saw a spike in business in 2009, when she was commissioned to craft 36 wedding cakes in five months. In 2010, she tripled that amount: 111 cakes that wedding season.

“We grew so fast that we had to move,” Bessé said.

Your Sweet Expectations opened up shop yesterday, for the first time at , it's new location. Bessé shares a kitchen and works side-by-side with proprietor Gerard Giudice.

Rohnert Park Patch was there to witness the master baker put out her first plate of cupcakes for sale at Sally Tomatoes. So what’s on the menu today? Chocolate chocolate chip and carrot cake, complete with Bessé's signature icing: wccci, pronounced "wiki." 

What's wccci you say? 

"It's my signature icing made with whip cream and cream cheese," Bessé said. "I started making it two years ago; I really love cream cheese icing, but it's was always too dense. You'd see it left on plates at the end of parties."

"The biggest compliment to me is an empty plate," she said.

“It’s very exciting to have Carolyn here at the cafe,” Giudice said. “She makes incredible cakes, and it was sort of a natural progression.”

Bessé used to work for Red Condor, the Internet security company located within Sonoma Mountain Village. She’d come into the café often, and talk about how much she wanted to be a professional baker. Bessé called it her dream job; one she’d already been doing it on the side for 20 years as a side business.

“Gerard really supported and encouraged me along the way,” Bessé said. “This truly makes my heart sing.”

Shelley Herlihy of Penngrove has used Bessé for her son’s high school graduation, birthday parties and for corporate parties at her workplace, Alexander Bookkeeping in Rohnert Park.

“One cake she made was vanilla with chocolate on the inside, and it was absolutely phenomenal,” Herlihy said. “She also made cupcakes for our company Christmas party, with her wccci icing, a hint of peppermint and red velvet cake. It was amazing and they even had the company logo on them.”

Your Sweet Expectations is an important addition to Sally Tomatoes, Giudice said. The two are working together to cultivate a morning business. Just yesterday, a new fireplace was installed at the café, and with Bessé’s s handmade baked goods, the morning scene will be perfect, the two said.

“We’re adding another dimension of service to the café,” Giudice said. “It’s going to be great; we’ll have scones and muffins, breakfast sandwiches, cappuccinos and great coffee.”

“Carolyn is going to do great in the business world,” Herlihy said. “When you meet her, you feel as if you’ve known her for years. She’s very sweet, she’s creative, and she listens to what you want.”

Editor’s note: Your Sweet Expectations specializes in custom wedding cakes, party cakes of all sorts, cookies and cupcakes. Bessé’s goodies can also be found at Sally Tomatoes. Call 707-843-1542 to book a free tasting for your event, or email Carolyn Bessé at carolyn@yoursweetexpectations.com. Find out more about Sally Tomatoes’ new breakfast program by calling 707-665-9472.

The Chamber of Commerce will host a social and mixer at the Event Center at Sonoma Mountain Village on Friday, Feb. 25  from  5 p.m. to 8 p.m. to celebrate the grand opening of Your Sweet Expectations. Complimentary sweets and appetizers will be on hand and the Chamber will host a ribbon cutting.