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!”
Bella Christie’s strives to bend the
constraints of what food is for: to nourish,
but also entertain,
enlighten or even make
people laugh. The sweet
boutique offers items
that are both visually
appealing and incredibly
delicious. Because of
this, event planners
call on the shop to
create unique and
entertaining offerings
for their clients’ most
important events. From
weddings to corporate
functions and milestone
celebrations, Bella
Christie’s has been
called upon to craft
desserts that blend
with the theme of
the evening. It’s also
been asked to create
unique, interactive
dessert stations that
entertain guests while
Alexa Smith mixes ice cream on a cold slab as part of the Liquid
also providing them
Nitrogen Ice Cream station, where ice cream is flash frozen and placed
with delicious dessert
on a slab to mix in the customer’s choice of just about any topping.
alternatives.
“With that, we noticed that over 80 percent
clients regarding our Interactive Sugar Sweet
of what we do ‘goes out the back door’—
Stations that we decided to bring the concept
meaning we consult with clients and create
to our Lawrenceville location in order for
unique items that we deliver to weddings and
everyone to experience our delicious desserts,
events all over Pittsburgh and now all over
handcrafted right before their eyes.”
the country,” notes Lewis-Smith. “So many of
The location offers a rotation of over 22
our unique items never made it to the front of
interactive dessert stations that can satisfy any
our store and so our customers who visit our
type of sweet craving you may have. Three
stores never had the chance to see what we
really do and everything we have to offer. We
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received such phenomenal feedback from our
Woodland Hills | Fall 2017 | icmags.com 33