7 hours Ago By Kyra Gottesman
When the pandemic hit in 2020, “shutting the world down” and thwarting her career goals, Adrianna Wiley pulled on her apron, got to work and started her cottage business, Adrianna’s Bakery, in the kitchen of her Chico studio apartment.“I told myself, ‘I gotta do something. I can’t just around the house doing nothing.
It’ll drive me crazy,’” said Wiley.The Southern California native who moved north to attend Chico State in 2015 had earned her bachelor’s degree in English education in 2019 and was preparing to take a break before getting her teaching credential. The break was supposed to be a teaching stint in China, but the pandemic put a kibosh on that plan.
“I always loved baking. Ever since I was a kid it was something me and my auntie shared,” said Wiley. “I got right on it because I was nervous about being able to pay my bills.
So I thought I would try to make some money off something I love to do.”Made to order cakes like this three-layer, four-inch, red velvet cake with vanilla buttercream frosting are a specialty of Adrianna’s Bakery in Chico, California. (Adrianna’s Bakery/Contributed)Adrianna Wiley, owner of Adrianna’s Bakery in Chico, California, never uses fondant to decorate her cakes.
This three-layer, four-inch, white cake with raspberry filling is, like all of her cakes, frosted and decorated with buttercream. (Adrianna’s Bakery/Contributed)Show Caption1 of 2Made to order cakes like this three-layer, four-inch, red velvet cake with vanilla buttercream frosting are a specialty of Adrianna’s Bakery in Chico, California. (Adrianna’s Bakery/Contributed)ExpandRaised by her Uncle “Poppy” Dunigan and Aunt Doris Dunigan, Wiley said she first learned to cook “Black people food like ribs, barbeque, gumbo, jambalaya, ox tail and pig’s feet.
”“I love me some pig’s feet,” said Wiley. “My auntie was the daughter of a slave, and that’s the food she made because that’s what she was raised on. She also taught me how to bake old-school classic desserts.
Pecan pie and banana pudding were the first two things I baked with her.”Wiley said she started small offering homemade peach, strawberry and mango jams paired with homemade wheat and white breads.“Everyone and their mother was baking bread during COVID, so I started with that,” said the baker who now offers cookies, brownies, scones, muffins, Japanese milk bread, turnovers, Danishes, cinnamon rolls, lemon bars, madeleines, baked donuts, cheesecake and sweet breads including zucchini, banana chocolate chip and lemon raspberry.
She also offers custom cakes in a “plethora of flavors.”“The limit doesn’t exist on flavors,” she continued. “I do not use fondant.
I’m the buttercream queen when it comes to frosting and decorations.”While her original inspiration came from her aunt, Wiley said “The Great British Baking Show” has influenced her and really fired up her imagination.“I love that show,” she said.
“It got me through COVID and gave me a lot of ideas. I still watch it.”It was the quirky show that motivated her to master scones and madeleines, recipes she learned from the show and then “tweaked” to make them her own.
Strong supportNot all her efforts were an instant success. It took six attempts to get scones “just right.” And, when she decided to add vegan and gluten-free options to her menu, there was a lot of trial and error.
“I wanted to offer as much vegan and gluten-free options as possible because everybody deserves to be able to eat delicious dessert,” said Wiley. “It was pretty easy to figure out how to adjust the recipes and still have them be good for vegans. With gluten-free, it was really hard to get the correct consistency, but I figured it out and got it right.
Now I’m a pro.”When she first opened her business, Wiley admits she did think twice about being a young, Black, female entrepreneur.Individual treats like these mini strawberry cakes topped with vanilla buttercream frosting, fresh fruit and a golden Oreo cookie are a favorite among customers of Adrianna’s Bakery in Chico, California.
(Adrianna’s Bakery/Contributed)“Honestly, starting off, I was hesitant. There’s not a lot of black-owned businesses in Chico. It’s a predominantly white town, so I was nervous to see how it would go, to see how people would respond,” said Wiley.
“But Chico is really lovely. When word started to spread about the business on social media, people were reiterating that I was Black and female, that this was a Black-owned business and to support it.”And support it they have.
Adrianna’s Bakery vegan goods are sold at Tender Loving Coffee and through the about half a dozen pop-up events she does every month. These venues, on top of the private orders for her baked goods, including up to nine custom cakes a month, keep her busy and her bills paid.“My auntie showed her love through cooking and baking.
I’m following in her footsteps. I put all my love into my baking,” said Wiley. “I love, love, love the pop-ups — being out there selling my goods and hearing people’s positive feedback feeds my ego so I can keep going.
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shop/b/adriannas-bakeryReach Kyra Gottesman at [email protected].
