In the RBA Member Spotlight series, we'll be profiling valued members of the Retail Bakers of America community.

This week, we're looking at Chocolate in the Oven, Bake Shop in Milford, New Jersey. The bakery is home to some of the best hand-crafted sweets on the Delaware River. It specializes in custom cakes, Italian pastries, cheesecakes, cookies, pies, small batch ice cream, confections and other seasonal specialties.

After a successful career in corporate finance and business management (when she also dabbled in baking part time for friends and coworkers), owner and head baker/cake artist Cathy LaGuardia decided to follow a lifelong dream and opened the bakery in 2016.

Get to know Cathy LaGuardia and Chocolate in the Oven, Bake Shop more below.

How many years have you been in business?

Chocolate in the Oven, Bake Shop: 8.

What made you want to get into the baking industry/why are you passionate about baking?

Growing up in an Italian family, the tradition of baking was very important. I learned to bake alongside my mom, who always dreamed of owning a bakery. I originally followed a different career path, however, throughout my life baking has always been a creative outlet and stress reliever. When the company I worked for announced job eliminations due to moving out of state, I knew it was my chance to follow my dream and open a bakery.

What are your top-selling products/what product do you consider to be your specialty?

Our top selling products are our Italian pastries, cheesecakes and our specialty truffles. We specialize in custom cakes and homemade old fashioned baked goods. We use high quality ingredients and bake in small batch - while we are primarily a bakery, we are also thought of as a "sweet shop" making homemade ice cream, candy, confections and baked goods.

What do you see trending in the industry?

It seems like sourdough is huge, breads, croissants, European pastry.

How has your RBA membership made a difference in your business?

I just joined a couple weeks ago. So far we did print some of the recipes and try them out. I look forward to taking classes and getting more involved.

What have you learned from customers over the years?

You can't be everything to everyone. The customer is not always right. Change is good - baking the same thing day in and day out year after year is not good enough - we always try to stay on top of or ahead of trends.

What are your plans for the bakery in the coming years (expansion, digital, new offerings, etc.)?

I plan on (hopefully) expanding to a 2nd location. Would like to continue to expand my knowledge of making breads, croissants, yeasted doughs.

What do you look for when hiring staff?

A stable work history, flexible schedule and a positive attitude.

What would you have done differently in starting your business/what do you wish you could tell your past self when starting your business?

I would have found a different location. Unfortunately (and fortunately) I own the building my bakery is in so moving is not an easy decision, however it is in more of a remote location and it's taken time to build up a strong customer base.

Interested in learning more about becoming a member of the Retail Bakers of America? Click here.

Current RBA members, email Marlene O’ Connell (marlene@retailbakersofsmerica.org) to learn how you can be featured in an upcoming member spotlight.