A sweet beginning at YWCA incubator space

Emily Pecoraro has cut the ribbon on her new bakery Sweet Em’s Cake Boutique and it will be closely connected to the YWCA of the Niagara Frontier, where the business will take up newly renovated incubator space at 49 Tremont St. in North Tonawanda.

The formerly home-based baker offers everything from grand wedding cakes and delicately decorated cookies to cherry goat cheese pop tarts and peanut butter and jelly French macarons.

Pecoraro moved to Western New York from Puerto Rico five years ago, so, naturally, the bakery specializes in Puerto Rican desserts, such as a guava cake called Panetela and cream cheese pastries, quesitos. It also features an eat-in bistro, serving sandwiches, desserts and a children’s menu. The 20-seat bistro serves breakfasts on Saturdays, including a Puerto Rican breakfast sandwich, Dutch baby pancakes and French toast.

The YWCA recently redeveloped its offices into multiple-use space including ground-floor commercial space as well as housing for survivors of domestic violence. The original plan was to have the YWCA’s culinary training program student operate a business in the space, but that program closed during the pandemic, so the YWCA turned to third-party leasing. And as a condition of Pecoraro’s lease, she has agreed to hire workers from among YWCA clients in the building.

“One of the things that actually made us very excited was that we were able to not just bring our dream to life, but also help other people in the process,” Pecoraro said.

Pecoraro is looking at other ways to involve the YWCA’s residents, including offering them discounts and getting them involved in future events, such as cake decorating classes.

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