Bella Christie & Lil ’ Z ’ s Sweet Boutique ’ s second location offers interactive dessert stations that can satisfy any type of sweet craving .
By Nicole Tafe
Alexa Smith mixes ice cream on a cold slab as part of the Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream station , where ice cream is flash frozen and placed on a slab to mix in the customer ’ s choice of just about any topping .
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Every day is a sweet day at Bella Christie & Lil ’ Z ’ s Sweet Boutique !” say sisters Kristin Lewis-Smith and Kadee Lewis . As one of Pittsburgh ’ s treasured boutiques , Bella Christie & Lil ’ Z ’ s offers something unique and delectable that will tantalize the taste buds of anyone whose favorite part of a meal is dessert . This fall , the booming business continues to cultivate its second location in Lawrenceville with unique interactive dessert offerings .
“ We opened our second location several years ago when the opportunity presented itself ,” recalls Lewis-Smith .
Dozen Bake Shoppe — which had been open in that location for several years — was closing its doors and looking for someone to take over the existing lease . At the time , Bella Christie ’ s business was growing rapidly and the sisters found the Aspinwall shop bursting at the seams , in need of space to expand .
“ Instead of relocating to one larger location , we decided to essentially split the bakery into two ,” explains Lewis-Smith . “ Our Aspinwall location continued to craft our delicious dessert items and our cake wizards continued to sculpt and design their beautiful creations — only now they had more room to do so . We moved our candy making , chocolate dipping and decorated cookie production to our new location in Lawrenceville .”
Bella Christie ’ s was initially started by Lewis-Smith about 12 years ago . At that time , the home-based business was small and specialized in decorated cookies and bakery bars as well as cookies that produced for private and wholesale clients . Growing up , Lewis-Smith would spend countless summers “ down south ” apprenticing with her grandmother — a master “ southern ” baker and candy maker . With her grandmother ’ s influence , she fostered a love for baking and candy making , and when her children were very young , she decided to delve into a business of her own that quickly became a success .
About four years later , Lewis-Smith and her sister , Kadee Lewis , joined forces to expand the business to create the shop that exists today . Lewis , a personal trainer and gym owner in Aspinwall , pushed her sister to expand her talents and encouraged her to tackle new items like fondant and wedding cakes .
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 shops 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 ).” Bella Christie ’ s two locations are only four miles apart , but they are very different from each other . “ The new location gave us a chance to express ourselves with new design ideas ,” adds Lewis-Smith . “ It took on a rustic chic tone , with wood floors handcrafted from recycled wood pallets and a front counter space that utilizes 100-year-old barn wood . Wood tables and ladders from the turn of the century mix with silver and gold stands dripping with crystals . We wanted the decor to match the vibe of the neighborhood !”
While the sisters ’ initial intention was to solve their space issue , they found that the new location also brought the boutique clients from different areas around Pittsburgh . “ There were definitely growing pains with splitting the bakery into two locations ,” Lewis-Smith recalls . “ We now have a dedicated staff of people that make it their mission to keep things running smoothly , transporting our creations back and forth between the two locations so that they are ready and waiting for our clients . “
Bella Christie ’ s isn ’ t your traditional Pittsburgh bakery . “ We really see ourselves as purveyors of food art , more like a boutique that sells sweet edibles instead of trinkets and clothing ,” says Lewis-Smith . I know moms always say , ‘ Don ’ t play with your food !’ but for us — we just have to play with it !”
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Norwin | Fall 2017 | icmags . com 13