Ali Watson is moving her Fenton-area bakery from four wheels to solid ground.
Watson, 38, of Dittmer established her Sweet Cheeks Bakery Cart in March as a way to introduce her desserts and baked goods to the community. The garden cart turned pop-up bakery is stocked with a variety of goodies a few times a week at the intersection of Hwy. 30 and New Sugar Creek Road in the Jefferson County portion of Fenton.
After a few months of operating her mobile business, Watson said it’s now time to transition from cart to storefront. She plans to move Sweet Cheeks Bakery to a physical location at 1051 Gravois Road in the Fenton area, where the Trade-N-Games video store used to operate.
Watson said she plans to hold a soft opening on Wednesday, Oct. 2, and a larger grand opening on Saturday, Oct. 5.
“My main goal is to bring to the community something that it’s lacking,” Watson said. “They have big box grocery stores that sell pre-made, pre-frozen cakes.”
Her bakery, on the other hand, will offer lots of fresh-baked items.
Having a bakery in the Fenton area will also allow local residents to do their business in Jefferson County, Watson said.
“They’re not taking their money and going to a St. Louis County bakery for their services; they’re able to get it right here close to home,” she said.
Until the grand opening later this fall, Watson will continue to sell her baked goods out of the cart.
Watson said she has been a baker and cake decorator for 17 years but only recently began focusing on her passion for baking. Last October she left her full-time job as a real estate agent to create a business plan and build her cart.
“It was a long time coming,” Watson said. “I always knew I wanted to do it, but the timing aspect had to be right.”
The bakery cart has turned out to be a big success, Watson said.
She stocks the cart with various items on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Customers may pick and choose which treats they want and pay in cash via a drop box on the cart or electronically by scanning a QR code.
Watson said she’s had no issues with customers breaking the “honor code” outlined on a sign inside the cart.
“We have a really good fan base,” she said. “I think what people are surprised by is that we are completely unmanned and have a lot of trust in the community. I think they respect that as well.”
Watson said the cart has served its purpose, giving customers a taste of what she can offer, but now it’s time to expand her menu. For instance, nothing that requires refrigeration can go in the cart.
“I’ll be able to expand our menu quite a bit and offer things that I can’t offer on the cart now, like cheesecake and meringues,” she said.
Once she opens her store, the cart won’t entirely go away, though, Watson said.
“I don’t plan to utilize the cart regularly, but I will provide it for event rentals or some pop-up events,” she said.
Her bakery will offer custom-designed cakes and a grab-and-go dessert bar with cupcakes, pastries, cookies and more.
Watson has two assistants who help her bake – her aunt, Brenda Payne, and her sister, Amber Corzine.
She has a membership with the Kitchen Hub in High Ridge, a commissary where she has access to two private commercial kitchens for her baking.
“We’re scheduled to move (baking) operations into our bakery on Sept. 8,” Watson said. “I’m looking forward to expanding our custom cakes, which we’re pretty limited to within the space I’m at now.”
Watson said Sweet Cheeks is a from-scratch bakery and uses quality ingredients.
She said her most popular desserts “by far” are her carrot cake and wedding cake.
“I can never keep (the cakes) on the cart – they just fly off in under two hours,” Watson said.
The best way to contact Watson is via the bakery’s Facebook page, Sweet Cheeks Bakery Cart, she said.
Watson posts alerts around the time the cart is set up and ready for business, along with information on what bakery items are stocked on the cart.
Additionally, Watson takes orders through sweetcheeksbakerycart.com.
Watson is the mother to four children, ranging in age from 2 to 17.
In the coming weeks, she said she’s moving from Dittmer to be closer to her Fenton-area bakery location.