Gwendolyn Rogers vividly recalls her best memory as a female business owner. She refers to it as her “Julia Roberts ‘Pretty Woman’ moment.” Years ago, any time she brought treats into her three boys’ elementary school classrooms, she always received compliments about her baking skills. However, when word spread that she was thinking about opening her own bakery, the backlash was harsh.
“Every parent in my school pickup line made fun of me,” says Rogers. “They snickered behind my back. They told me that I was crazy, that I didn’t know what I was doing and that it was a terrible idea.”
Her ego took an additional hit when multiple banks denied her a loan. Despite the negativity that swirled around her, every week she put together another presentation and showed up to a new bank, cupcakes in hand, hoping for a “yes.” Finally, First Merchants Bank approved her loan, and Rogers set about remodeling a little house in Broad Ripple not far from where she lived.
In 2014 she opened The Cake Bake Shop. Several of those parents who tried to squash her spirit visited her shop. A few even had the audacity to ask for a discount.
Remember the line from “Pretty Woman”?
“Big mistake. Huge!”
Rogers felt vindicated, but mostly she felt happy to see her perseverance pay off.
“If you believe in yourself and don’t listen to what people say you can’t do, that’s the moment you accomplish something,” she says.
Her vision was simple and straightforward. She hoped that The Cake Bake Shop could be a place where kids would come after school to enjoy a hot cookie and some milk as they did their homework.
“I figured the shop would be a hobby,” Rogers says.
As it turns out, the community really loved her hobby and flocked to her cozy shop. Before long she was forced to turn customers away because there weren’t enough tables, and that broke her heart. In 2019 she opened a second, larger location in Carmel.
The Cake Bake Shop makes everything from scratch. As a result, when you walk into the bakery, your olfactory senses go into overdrive from the aromas that permeate the room.
“You’ll remember the smells, and everyone needs a happy memory,” says Rogers, who calls herself “a mom who likes to cook comfort food.”
“I don’t make anything too fancy,” she says.
The top menu items on the savory side include the creamy chicken velvet soup and the quiche, which has a buttery crust.
“I put vodka in it instead of water, which creates a flakier crust,” Rogers says. “People come from other states just for the quiche!”
Guests also rave about the chicken salad, which they shred by hand and serve on a homemade croissant.
On the sweet side, fan favorite cake recipes include carrot cake, red velvet, chocolate, and raspberry champagne. Other sweets that top the list are the Key lime pie, apple pie, and cheesecakes.
When guests enter The Cake Bake Shop, they feel as if they’ve been transported back in time, and that’s by design. The Cake Bake Shop lacks televisions and other visual stimulation so that guests have no distractions.
“This way they spend time with the person they came with,” Rogers says. “That then creates a memorable moment for them as they share lunch or dinner together.”
There’s no doubt about it – The Cake Bake Shop is beloved. During Rogers’ career, she has been mentioned not once, but twice, by Oprah Winfrey as she made the “O” and “Oprah’s Favorite Things” lists. Rogers credits her team for the shop’s success.
“I feel so blessed to have a team that’s like family to me,” she says. “We truly care about one another. Plus, they treat everyone who walks through the doors of the shop wonderfully. Every guest is special.”
Now Rogers is getting ready to open her third location at the BoardWalk Resort in Florida’s Walt Disney World (formerly the ESPN Club). She also built a warehouse and production kitchen in Orlando, which makes a nice home base for the Cake Bake team.
“Staff can bake out of it, plus it’s a place for people to onboard and get fitted for their uniforms,” says Rogers, who has always been a huge Disney fan. “Disney takes you out of your normal, day-to-day life. At every corner there’s some sort of entertainment, whether it’s a parade, character, ride or attraction – not to mention all the tasty foods you don’t get to eat in your daily life.”
Now that Rogers owns three locations, she bops around to each of them. Although she adores Disney, when she’s in Florida, she misses home.
“I adore Indiana so much,” she says. “I love the weather, the people and the colors of the trees.”
She also loves her three children, who are now 27, 24 and 22, as well as her husband of 31 years.
“He’s such a gentleman – so kind and sweet,” Rogers says. “I raised my boys to be just like their dad. They also all know how to cook!”
Locally, The Cake Bake Shop is located at 6515 Carrollton Avenue in Indianapolis, and 800 South Rangeline Road, Suite 260 in Carmel. For more information, visit thecakebakeshop.com.
