Discover the heartwarming story behind Love & Bake, a family-owned bakery in San Diego. Explore how cherished family recipes and traditions inspire our delectable baked goods, bringing generations together through the joy of baking.
At Love & Bake, our desserts are more than just sweets—they’re living stories. Each cookie, pie, and cupcake carries the legacy of a cherished family recipe, passed down through generations and perfected with love. As a family-owned and Black woman-led bakery in San Diego, we take pride in preserving our culinary heritage and sharing it with the world, one bite at a time.
The Roots of Love & Bake
Our journey began not in a commercial kitchen, but in a home filled with the warmth of tradition. Formerly known as Mya’s Catering Company, Love & Bake was inspired by the love we witnessed around our grandparents’ table. Those Sunday dinners weren’t just meals—they were masterclasses in hospitality, where handwritten recipe cards tucked in old cookbooks held secrets passed down through generations, and verbal instructions shared over stirring pots became the foundation of our culinary knowledge.
The kitchen was our classroom, and love was our primary ingredient. We learned that baking wasn’t just about following instructions—it was about understanding the stories behind each dish, the hands that first kneaded the dough, and the occasions that made each recipe special. These traditions shaped our passion for baking and gave us a deeper appreciation for the power of food to connect people across time and space.
Every dessert you enjoy from us today is rooted in those humble beginnings. The name “Love & Bake” perfectly reflects our mission: to honor the past, bake with purpose, and share that love with others who understand that the best recipes come with stories attached.
Honoring Loved Ones Through Baking
At Love & Bake, our menu is a tribute to the people who shaped our lives. Many of our most-loved desserts are rooted in personal stories—baked in memory of the ones who taught us, fed us, and loved us well. Each item represents not just a flavor profile, but a relationship, a memory, and a moment in time that deserves to be preserved and celebrated.
Our culinary heritage draws from rich Southern traditions, with my mother’s parents hailing from Talladega, Alabama, and my father’s parents from Texas. These regional influences bring distinct flavors and techniques to our kitchen, blending the best of Alabama’s soul food traditions with Texas’s bold, hearty cooking styles. This unique combination of Southern roots creates the foundation for many of our signature recipes.
Take our red velvet cupcake, for example—it’s not just a customer favorite, it’s a nod to traditional Southern baking that runs deep in our family’s roots. This classic dessert represents the heart of our heritage: warm, rich, celebratory, and soulful. Every time we mix the batter, we’re continuing a tradition that connects us to countless family celebrations and Sunday church gatherings where red velvet cake was the crown jewel of the dessert table.
Our sweet potato pie carries even more personal meaning—it’s made by our mom, Mz. Cilla, using her very own recipe that has been refined through years of love and practice. Her pie has become a signature of our seasonal menu, and her loving touch makes each bite feel like coming home. When customers taste Mz. Cilla’s sweet potato pie, they’re not just enjoying dessert—they’re experiencing a piece of our family’s heart.
Whether it’s a flavor that reminds us of our childhood or a new creation inspired by a loved one, every dessert we offer is a form of remembrance and respect. Honoring those who came before us is one of the sweetest parts of what we do, and it ensures that their legacy lives on in every kitchen we enter and every customer we serve.
Preserving Traditions in Every Bite
In a world moving fast, we choose to slow down and honor the time-tested methods that make our baking special. Our baking methods remain as close to traditional as possible: small batches mixed by hand, real ingredients sourced with care, and the kind of hands-on attention that can’t be rushed or automated. While we respect innovation and aren’t afraid to try new things, we never sacrifice the authenticity that makes our desserts special.
That means using the same butter-laden recipes that filled our grandparents’ kitchens with irresistible aromas, the same cast-iron pans that have been seasoned by decades of use, and the same attention to detail that turns simple ingredients into something magical. We believe that the best flavors come from patience, quality ingredients, and the kind of care that can only be provided by human hands and hearts.
It’s not just about flavor—it’s about feeling. That moment when the aroma of something freshly baked takes you back to childhood, when a single bite transports you to your grandmother’s kitchen, or when the texture and taste are so perfect they create a new memory worth treasuring—that’s the feeling we strive to deliver in every single item we create.
From Our Family to Yours
Our mission goes beyond dessert—it’s about connection, community, and the bridges that food can build between people. When customers share that our cookies remind them of their mother’s kitchen, or that our peach cobbler brought back memories of family gatherings they thought they’d forgotten, we know we’ve accomplished something truly meaningful.
These conversations happen more often than you might expect, and they remind us why we do what we do. Food has the unique ability to unlock memories, create comfort, and bring people together in ways that transcend words. When someone tastes our baking and feels that connection to their own family traditions, we’ve succeeded in our mission to keep those precious memories alive.
Love & Bake is about creating a space where traditions are cherished, memories are honored, and new moments are made every day. Whether you’re reliving a beloved taste from your past or discovering something entirely new that might become part of your own family’s story, we’re honored to be part of your journey and grateful that you’ve chosen to share these moments with us.
A Legacy Baked In
Love & Bake is more than a name—it’s a philosophy, a commitment, and a promise. It’s a legacy of love, resilience, and cultural heritage passed from one generation to the next, carefully preserved and lovingly shared. Our story is one of family, tradition, and the belief that the best recipes are those that come with love baked right in.
When you choose Love & Bake, you’re not just enjoying a dessert—you’re joining a family, sharing in a history, and helping keep traditions alive for future generations. You’re supporting a Black woman-led business that believes in the power of community, the importance of heritage, and the magic that happens when food is made with genuine care and intention.
So come visit us in San Diego. We’ve saved a slice just for you, and we can’t wait to share our story, one delicious bite at a time.
Ready to become part of our story? We’d love to connect with you and learn about your own family traditions. Whether you’re interested in custom orders for your special celebrations, want to share your family’s recipe stories with us, or simply want to experience the love we bake into every item, reach out to us. Let’s create new memories together while honoring the beautiful traditions that make each of our stories unique.
Frequently Asked Questions
What inspired the creation of Love & Bake? Love & Bake was born out of a desire to share our family’s cherished recipes and the stories behind them with the broader San Diego community. We wanted to create a space where our culinary heritage could be celebrated and preserved while bringing joy to others through the universal language of delicious baked goods.
Are all your recipes family originals? While many of our recipes are rooted in family traditions passed down through generations, we also create new ones inspired by loved ones, cultural heritage, and the diverse community we serve. Each recipe, whether traditional or newly created, is made with the same love and attention to detail that defines our approach to baking.
Can I submit a family recipe to be featured? Absolutely! We love celebrating diverse traditions and learning about the stories that make each recipe special. Please contact us with your recipe and the story behind it—we’d be honored to consider it for our menu or feature it in our blog as we continue to build connections within our community.