Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Newbould.
Melissa, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I had dreamed of owning my own restaurant since I was a young girl, and before I moved to Cypress I ran two restaurants in downtown called: Zydeco for five years. I left there to start a family and during that time period, I started designing jewelry which became quite successful! ALL that while raising three kids, but my heart would never let me forget where I wanted to be.
One day in 2006, I walked into The Bake Shoppe and Café to pick up a To-Go order. I frequented the location and one day while checking out I started looking around. Out of nowhere, I looked at Vic (previous owner) said: “One day, I’m going to own this place.” He started laughing at me and said… oh really, I was so embarrassed. I turned beet-red, grabbed my food and got out of there.
Everything changed in July 2009 when my cell phone rang. Vic called me and said, ‘Hey girl, it’s Vic, why don’t you take this place off my hands.’ I almost wrecked my car. By August, I was right where my heart always wanted to be. I brought over my cook from Zydeco to keep my Southern Roots alive. I also kept the best thing walking around that place which was Toni Dyer! Without her and Nazario Soto (my chef), I couldn’t do what I do without them. We kept all of the favorite recipes but did some tweaking to get back to basics of fresh ingredients and added some of my family recipes to expand the menu. I’ve added my rustic funky style to the place and want you to feel like you’re a part of our family when you come in. We love to laugh and be sassy. A customer’s happiness is huge to us.
Has it been a smooth road?
Smooth Road… wow! I had to spell check that LOL. Yall. I don’t even really know where any of those exist… I mean, I’ve crossed some a few times, but it’s just not really my style. I’m not saying that I live in craziness but I must tell you that I enjoy going a different way… the bumps and bruises don’t bother me. To me, they make a way better story at the end of the day and I usually see or learn or meet someone or something amazing! I love so much of what I do. I was raised to be a fighter for sure. Connie Ann (my beautiful mama passed 5 years ago), she would tell me over and over, ‘Don’t you dare let someone tell you that you can’t do something.’ and then, she would say, ‘let me tell you about that word CAN’T… he died and his brother COULDN’T got so lonely. He died too. LOL!’ She was an AMAZING WOMAN and I hope you don’t mind that I put down in words how wonderful life was with her in the world (yes a bit of Elton there! Ha!) I guess, I just want to say to end this is that I have truly worked hard for or fought for everything I have and I feel so blessed and proud daily for all that I have and the best part of all of it has been that my kitchen staff backs me up and is such a huge support system for me. They’re honestly, my family and I can’t imagine going through any struggle without them by my side-dreams don’t work unless you do…
We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are known for our homemade bread, chicken salad, chicken and dumplings, homemade frozen casseroles and HOMEMADE DING DONGS!!! YES YOU READ THAT RIGHT… HOMEMADE DING DONGS!!
I’m most proud of the fact that when I bought this place, it really wasn’t doing that great financially… as a matter of fact, it was getting worse after the first year, to where I was given 3 months to make or I was getting shut down. I was paying employees out of our savings, so remember what Connie Ann taught me… about ‘Can’t and Couldn’t’. Oh my gosh, that lit a fire under me like no other! I started signing up for all kinds of neighborhood market shows and then ended up getting a booth at The Junior League Holiday Market in The Woodlands. I spoke to so many people about my cafe and we sold over 800 Ding Dongs at the show it was CRAZY! After that, we started booking parties in the side room at the shop and now, we stay booked several months out! It truly saved us! I’m also proud again of the relationship that I’ve created with my employees. I’m so proud of them and how close we all are! It’s such a great feeling being able to go to work and get natural respect which then creates such a fun and safe environment. We are all so super protective of that now and have decided that we will make sure it stays that way – life is too short to be unhappy at WORK, dammit – so I think that sets us apart from other places because that just spills over to the front of the counter-the icing on the cake would be how I’ve put my heart and soul into the décor. It’s super important to me for you to FEEL happy while eating all of our homemade goodness!!!
I have tried to create a one-stop shop for catering and on top of that getting to style a wedding or any event that we get hired to do! I don’t just cater or show up with amazing custom cakes and desserts… I will style your event, decorate the top dessert bars and make that table with all of our delicious food on it look amazing!!! The WOW factor is a VERY BIG DEAL to me. I love decorating with unexpected things on the table that make people stop and think, um… did she really just use an old car door for a menu board? It’s my FAVORITE thing to do! Well, except when I’m running out the back door, I steal sugar cookies off the rack, LOL! My goodness, that recipe was my great-grandmother Stella’s and it just makes everything better when I eat one of those, LOL. I do now have to ask permission though, LOL! learned a couple of times they were for an order. OOPS!
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I think the city would love us! Everything is homemade and down-home goodness!!! I love when customers tell me that they feel like they’ve gone back home after they’ve eaten at my place… especially when they eat the Chicken and Dumplings! We still hand roll them out – that recipe is over 85 years old and I’m damn proud of it! What city doesn’t need DoWNHoMe LiKe MaMa used to make… after all… all good things started at home with Mama!
We will next open a food truck in Round Top TX at THE PORCH on Hwy 237. It’s going to be OVER THE TOP! We will serve our yummy sandwiches on our Homemade Bread Wraps Salads. FOR SURE, desserts, too!!! I’m so excited about this new adventure!
My BIG Dream is to one day, have my own wedding venue. It’s something that keeps me up at night! Lol! I want it so bad, the visions I see in my head are PURE MAGIC!!!
Contact Info:
- Address: Melissa Roper Newbould
- Website: www.thebakeshoppeandcafe,com
- Phone: 281-320-22532
- Email: melis@thebakeshoppeandcafe,com
- Instagram: the bake shoppe and cafe
- Facebook: The Bake Shoppe and Cafe
Image Credit:
pinky promise photography, flowers by Handfelt Provisions
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