New bakery brings fresh delight to Brookhaven
Lifelong Aston resident opens West Branch Baking Co.
BROOKHAVEN » The heavenly aroma of cakes and cookies baking in the oven hits the nose as soon as one opens the door at the West Branch Baking Co., 8 Brookhaven Road.
“Some people thought I was nuts to open a business in the midst of the pandemic,” owner
Kit Spayd laughs. “But I figured that was just another excuse to delay following a dream of mine. If it wasn’t the pandemic, it would be something else and I’d never take the leap of faith, so I just went for it!”
Last August, Spayd signed the lease for the building, which she said hadn’t been rented in decades, and then set to work. Spayd, her friends and her family, remodeled and spruced up the space, bought equipment and West Branch Baking Co. opened its doors in December 2020.
Six people are currently employed at the company, including Spayd’s two teenaged daughters. The company takes custom bak
ing orders and fulfills them in a day or two. For walk-in customers, the bakers keep undecorated cupcakes to customize on the spot, and other baked goods available
each day for customers to conveniently grab and go.
“We’re not your typical bakery,” Spayd explained. “We don’t have glass display cases with pre-made bakery goods. Most of our products are customized, made fresh to order, and people call in to request them.”
“If customers ask us for something unusual, or something we never made before, we will still take the order and figure out how to make it,” interjected Josie Platt of Havertown, baker and longtime friend of Spayd. “We are all about pleasing the customer!”
In a typical week, the bakery goes through 300 pounds of flour, 300 pounds of granulated sugar, 200 pounds of powdered sugar, 40 dozen of eggs and 200 pounds of butter. Spayd and her baking staff make Italian bread, cakes, cookies, holiday treats, cheesecakes, cinnamon rolls, cupcakes, dessert breads, cannoli, and mini cakes, on a daily basis.
Recently, the baker also began making handchurned crafted ice cream, sold in pints and 8-ounce cups, with exotic flavors like Banana Foster, Cannoli, and Loaded Chocolate and Vanilla, in addition to basic flavors.
The new business owner, who enjoyed taking art classes at Delaware County Community College when she was younger, said that she enjoys artistic expression through baking.
“Whenever I get orders from customers who call in with an original idea for a cake or other baked good, I get really excited,” Spayd explained. “I love a challenge and I’m always up for trying new things! It’s the
inner-artist in me.”
Spayd said her customer list is growing. She now supplies baked goods to Neumann University, LaSpada’s, Manbroso’s To Go, and other local businesses.
“I cannot say enough about the Delaware County business community,” Spayd said. “Other local business owners have been very welcoming and generous in sharing tips and information, especially to help one another during the pandemic.”
Spayd also praised the “fantastic” neighbors to her business and the welcoming Brookhaven residents and community.
“Everyone we’ve met here has been supportive,” she shared.
Spayd is a lifelong 42-year resident of Aston, where she graduated Sun Valley High School in the Class of 1996. She’s the daughter of Jim Graham and the late Carol Graham, who was a longtime commissioner in Aston. Married to husband Nick, the couple has two daughters, Evelyn, 17, and Olivia, 16, both current students at Sun Valley.
Spayd, who at one time served as the president of Aston Beechwood Fire Co., formerly sold insurance and spent some years as a homemaker. She baked alongside her late mom Carol since she was a teenager, learning the craft, as well as family recipes.
When her husband Nick
was diagnosed with a progressive form of Multiple Sclerosis in 2013, Spayd needed to work, but was unable to keep a 9 to 5 job because of taking care of her children and going back and forth to hospitals and doctor appointments with her husband. She decided to take the plunge and start selling her baked goods.
“What life throws at you, you can decide to handle it or not,” Spayd stated. “I chose to stay strong and handle it.”
She rented kitchen space from Christ United Methodist Church on Brookhaven Road and began baking. “I will forever be grateful to Christ UM Church,” Spayd said. “They took a chance on me.”
She hired Platt, whom she met while they were both working as EMTs. Spayed was an EMT at Aston Fire Co. and Platt worked for Norwood and Llanerch fire companies. Platt does most of the baking. Together, they’ve perfected family recipes. Spayd uses many of her maternal great-grandmother Fannie Miles’ recipes. She previously used her mom Carol’s chocolate chip cookie and muffin recipes, but after her mother suddenly died this past January, Spayd said that she emotionally is unable to bring herself to bake these items just yet. She explained the close mother-daughter bond that the pair had shared and how happy she is that her mother was there to attend her business’s grand opening in December.
When the company outgrew the church space, Spayd, who said that she is a self-taught cake decorator, found the current location. With help from dad Jim and family friend John Young, the spot was turned into a new location for the business.
The West Branch Baking Co. recently completed running its first week of Baking Camp where preteen children learned to decorate cakes, properly measure ingredients, and other tricks of the trade. More young bakers will have an opportunity in August to participate in another week of Baking Camp.
Radio station 102.9 named The West Branch Baking Co. the “Business of the Week” recently. The West Branch Baking team brings their freshly baked
wares to the Tinicum Township Farmers Market every other week on Wednesdays, from 4:40-7:30 p.m., to get their name out there and attract new fans of their products.
West Branch Baking Co.’s hours are daily, by appointment, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Friday and Saturday. Walkins are always welcome.
To reach The West Branch Baking Co., call 484-480-8784, like or message them on Facebook, follow them on Instagram @ westbranchbakingco or email westbranchbaking@ gmail.com.