— serving lighter baked treats to Jersey City, Bayonne, & Hoboken, NJ
Dessert had always been
a highlight of my day —
... until I had cut out all sugar (and most fat) from my diet for two years. Even in moments I did treat myself, it always left me with sense of heaviness - either from guilt, inflammation, or both.
Treats were no longer "treats" - their spark was lost.
It all started with
a craving for pecan pie...
My “healthy”(?) pecan pie - 2019
So for Thanksgiving 2019, I made my own healthier version - and it tasted… "healthy", as my family nicely put it.
While I was just content to settle with something that resembled a dessert back then, why do "healthier" desserts have to have such a bad rap? Even I had to admit, most options were dry, flavorless, or overcompensated with their "superfood" credentials.
So I continued to bake to find a bridge to this gap.
— that were lower in calories, flavored naturally by pure ingredients, and had zero less sugar and fat they are notorious for - but were still fun and tasted good.
After a lot of practice (and hit-or-miss) experiments, I found the balance I was looking for:
Healthier baked treats one could ‘lighten up’ about eating.
Since then, working with food has helped me learn what it truly means to be 'healthy' - to nourish both your body and mind.
Sharing my baked treats with others also made me notice the ways that good, healthy food, especially dessert, could light up a room and bring joy.
People's responses to my baking had now become: "Wow, these are delicious!" to even "You should open a bakery!"
- and so I did! It’s been encouraging and humbling, and from this, Lighten Up Bakeshop's purpose rose.
My goal was to create
lighter desserts
Sprinkled donut muffins - 2023
German chocolate ‘Cake-lit’ - 2023
Every recipe created at Lighten Up Bakeshop has been reimagined and crafted in a way that I hope delivers a satisfying treat both you and your body can feel good about (and enjoy!) eating.
So you can lighten up!
About the Baker
Before I started Lighten Up Bakeshop, I was a structural engineer working in NYC for almost six years - designing the steel and concrete that holds a building together. When I was a structural engineer, I was also an artist who loved to draw - and still do!
Baking has mixed both these sides of me together, inspiring me to create and modify recipes to not only make them healthier, but also make their flavor, texture, and appearance shine.
When COVID hit in 2020, more time at home had me baking new recipes everyday, from cakes to pies, even bagels. This helped me decompress after long hours of work (and the pure turmoil of that year), but also allowed me to practice and hone my baking.
Since then, I have baked for numerous occasions, ranging from family parties to serving tables of over 20 guests when I worked at a retreat center during the Summer of ‘22. Each occasion was an opportunity to enhance and refine my recipes - and now they are ready to Lighten Up!
