Aspasia Coffee & Bake Shops - Gluten Free. Women Owned. Aesthetic Gem.

An Owner With a Dream

Aspasia Coffee and Bake Shop was a two-portion project that took strategic planning on behalf of the owner and the C&T Design team. Originally envisioned as just a retail space, with advice from C&T’s Emily McClelland and Kathleen Kenney, the owner reimagined the project and came back to the C&T team with a new plan.  

It was decided that a commissary fully functioning bakery production kitchen would come first. Thankfully, with Kenney’s background in baking in their back pocket the C&T team felt confident to take on this new challenge! “Having worked in several different baking and pastry kitchens before my Project Management career, I was able to bring my personal background to the table for this project! Such particularly helped when generating ideas, educating colleagues, and when assisting with equipment selections", said Kathleen Kenney. Once the perfect spot was located, an old flower shop to be exact, C&T helped restructure the location to fit the specialized needs of a bakery production space.  

The retail shop came next. As a full ground-up construction, this part of the project required the full scope of C&T's abilities. From designing the space to selecting, securing, and installing the equipment, C&T ensured that this store had all of the foundations needed to become a success! 

In the words of McClelland, "the owner set out to inspire and awe at every turn for her customers!" McClelland went on to describe how the owner "went above and beyond to make sure that every single detail of the space was stunning. Nothing about this project was too big or small, no elements were missed or overlooked!" 

The Team That Saw It Through

Yet, no project is without its initial setbacks. Though the commissary came to fruition with little issue, the retail store was a bit of a different story. As this was a post-covid project, supply chains were not back to their normal levels of production. For this project, this meant that "lots of things were out of order when originally ordered, so we often had to work around when they would actually come in. It’s not typically how things are done, but in this instance, it was needed to finish the project on time." said McClelland. "For example, the electrical panels were pushed back so far, the whole project was essentially completed by using temporary lighting devices." 

Despite these complications, the project came to fruition due to the true dedication of an all-woman team that helped put this project together. From the female owner whose vision inspired it all, to the female architects, interior designers, and the general contractor that outlined the space, to C&T's own McClelland and Kenney who ensured that all the logistics of the project and all of the kitchen's equipment was procured and installed to specifications, together, all of their hard work and commitment ensured that this dream came to life.    

In the end, this 100% gluten-free facility is not only a testament to specialty foods but to aesthetics! In the words of C&T's manager on the project " This is one of the most visually attractive projects I've been a part of in 14 years at C&T," said McClelland.