This past weekend, pastry chefs and bakers in St. Louis came together to raise money for black lives.

Bakers for Black Lives, a group created as a response to national and international unrest over the killing of George Floyd and others in the black community, held a donation-based bake sale at Vino Gallery in the city’s Central West End on Sunday, June 7.

The group, consisting of Tai Davis (Alchemy Bakery), Meaghan Coultrain (formerly of Niche Food Group), Simone Faure (La Patisserie Chouquette) Sharon Harter (Bellwether and Polite Society), Hannah Kerne (formerly of Vicia) and Shimon Otsuka (Nathaniel Reid Bakery), were inspired by the desire to collaborate and use their hearts and art of baking to make a difference.

The bake sale, which was put together relatively quickly last week, opened at 10 a.m. Sunday and sold out before noon. More than $12,000 was raised in just two hours that day for various local organizations, including ArchCity Defenders, Campaign Zero and STL Mutual Aid.

In order to raise awareness and funds while staying safe, the organizers offered sanitizer and masks and asked guests to social distance. Contactless transactions (baked goods were pay-as-you-wish) and curbside pickup were also offered.