–by Jennifer Ruple
PUBLICATION DATE: Nov 19, 2019
Emmy Bagnato recently moved her baking business, Apple of M.I., into a commercial kitchen in Blissfield, Mich. The facility also houses a storefront where Bagnato sells cupcakes, muffins, cookies and macarons.
Her beautifully decorated cupcakes and uniquely topped caramel apples have been fan favorites at the Sylvania Farmers Market for the past few years. Emmy Bagnato (formerly Berry) creator of Apple of M.I., has been steadily growing her baking business since 2015, but on October 28 she took the next step and opened Emmy’s Kitchen, a commercial kitchen with a storefront at 326 E. Adrian St. in Blissfield, Mich.
Bagnato purchased the building from a former caterer. “The woman who owned the kitchen left it fully equipped with a convection oven, a large mixer, a refrigerator, a freezer and stainless countertops with a lot of workspace. Everything came with it,” said Bagnato. “I had my eye on the property for over a year. When the price was right, I went for it. I had the keys in my hand in mid-August,” she added.
Visitors to Emmy’s Kitchen will find Bagnato’s freshly baked goods stocked each morning, including cookies, muffins, macarons and cupcakes with names like Lemon Raspberry, Chocolate Overload and Pumpkin Spice. And there’s more. Bagnato specializes in creating custom cakes and dessert bars for all types of occasions.
While Bagnato is the sole employee of her business for now, she does get some help from time to time from her mother, Jane Berry, and her husband, Vince. Lack of employees doesn’t slow her down though. She’s working on a plan to host baking classes for kids and adults at the kitchen, and she anticipates “baking lots of Christmas cookies,” she laughed.
Christmas Cookies
Emmy’s Kitchen is open Wednesdays from 7 to 11 am, Thursdays from 7 to 10 am and 3 to 6 pm, Fridays from 7 to 10 am and 3 to 6 pm, Saturdays from 8 am to 3 pm and Sundays from 10 am to 2 pm. “There aren’t a lot of people around Blissfield in the middle of the day, they are either working or in school. The mid-day closure gives me time to restock the storefront if I run out of things, and I can also do some of my custom work,” explained Bagnato.
It’s been an exciting year for the young entrepreneur. Not only did Bagnato take a major leap with her business, she married her sweetheart, Vince Bagnato in June. “Everything I ever wanted is happening at the same time. It’s crazy, but you just keep going.”