Photo by Marina Zapata.
L to R: Bella Smith, Kristin Lewis-Smith, Alexa Christie Smith, Kadee Lewis and Zoe Skirboll.
As the business took off, an actual storefront, more space and a staff became a reality for the Lewis sisters.“ Kadee is really creative when it comes to the design of the shop and has created a whimsical, fun storefront that really matches the personality of the desserts we create,” says Lewis-Smith.“ The name of our bakery is inspired by our three daughters: Isabella( Bella) Smith, Alexa Christie Smith and Zoe Skirboll( Lil’ Z).”
While Bella Christie’ s offers traditional bakery items like cookies, bars and cupcakes, the sweet boutique also offers a variety of items not usually found in traditional Pittsburgh bakeries including a wide range of custom chocolate-dipped items, a small assortment of gluten‐free and vegan options, and an always changing menu to keep things interesting for regular clients.
Soon after opening, the Lewis sisters found themselves expanding into catering.“ With the popularity of the Pittsburgh wedding cookie table and Pinterest, Bella Christie’ s provides an opportunity for hosts to dress up their traditional cookie tables,” says Lewis-Smith.
Among Bella Christie’ s most popular specialties are the interactive dessert stations.“ Not only can we create one-of-a-kind dessert tables fashioned to coordinate with the look and theme of a client’ s party, but we can also offer dessert stations where guests can interact with our staff and watch their dessert being created right in front of their eyes!” says Lewis-Smith. More than 15 different dessert stations are offered, including Ch’ alston Fried Pie ala mode, liquid nitrogen ice cream, hot & fresh donuts, liquid nitrogen chocolate pops, marble slab cookie d’ oh and Spherical Meltdown Station, where guests watch as hot caramel is poured over a chocolate sphere and the sphere melts away to reveal a decadent dessert inside.
Artistic fondant carved cakes are another popular specialty at Bella Christie’ s. With a great team of cake artists who can bring any idea to life, the sweet boutique has created truly unique cakes including a three-dimensional, 4-ft.-tall chihuahua cake; a replica of downtown Pittsburgh for the bicentennial celebration that took place at Heinz History Center; and many more.
Right now, Bella Christie’ s most popular bake shop items are the emoji face mini cakes, and emoji oreo pops. Also popular and up‐and‐coming are the“ Drizzy” cakes that are piled high with interesting garnishes including cookies, ice cream cones and drizzle, with ganache poured over the top and dripping down the side. Ombre cakes that have different gradient colors for each layer are also currently on the bestseller list.
Most of the boutique’ s recipes come from family, friends and clients, but when the business expanded, several pastry chefs were hired and brought their specialties to the mix. Days start early for many of the staff, and a second shift was added so that fresh items
can be produced throughout the day. Bella Christie’ s uses a variety of ingredients from different vendors and sources locally whenever possible.
The sweet boutique is well-known for accommodating just about any allergen and dietary request in addition to any special idea. Bella Christie’ s has created dairy-free, gluten-free, nut-free, sugar-free, paleo, natural dyes and flavorings, and more. The boutique also specializes in Kosher Pareve desserts for large events.
“ Our goal is to be a unique offering to the area,” says Lewis-Smith.“ Not only can we make a custom cake to best honor your loved one, but we can also cater the dessert portion of your party with interactive stations and custom dessert tables that will leave your guests talking for months after the event.”
Bella Christie’ s also participates in a wide range of charity events and fundraisers in the Fox Chapel community and the surrounding Pittsburgh area.“ From gift certificates to desserts, we try to accommodate as many requests as we can,” says Lewis-Smith. Each year, Bella Christie’ s can be seen participating in Aspinwall Night Out, Aspinwall Fall in the Wall, Aspinwall Halloween Celebration and just about every other Aspinwall event. The shop also participates in events at local schools whenever possible, and continues to focus on charities and events that are selected by the staff— giving them the opportunity to select a charity and volunteer their time and talents to help the organization.
“ The future is also sweet at Bella Christie and Lil’ Z’ s,” says Lewis- Smith.“ Our clients have been the backbone of our bakery and have allowed us to expand into areas that we never expected.”
With plans for expansion, the sister duo is looking into traveling out of state more often for catering and with desserts. Trips have already been made to Washington, D. C., Ohio and Florida— and they recently traveled to California where they created unique carnival-style dessert stations for actor / comedian Kevin Hart and Eniko Parrish’ s wedding, and to Hawaii where they created fire-themed dessert stations for the rapper Kid Ink’ s wedding.“ People are always surprised to hear that these cities need a bakery from Pittsburgh to come and provide desserts and stations, but the reality is that Pittsburgh is among the best‘ food cities’ in America because we are creating incredible, unique options for clients that are not available in their hometowns.”
Bella Christie & Lil’ Z’ s Sweet Boutique’ s Fox Chapel shop is located at 213 Commercial Avenue in Aspinwall, and is open Monday from 9 a. m. to 2 p. m., Tuesday through Friday from 9 a. m. to 6 p. m., and Saturday from 8 a. m. to 4 p. m.
For more information, visit asweetboutique. com or call 412.772.1283. n
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