Exhale Café and Bakeshop

We are Café Pastel changed to Exhale Cafe and Bakeshop since we had time to sit during the pandemic! We had many ups and downs opening our shop starting with myself falling extremely ill and needing surgery which offset our opening and construction to March 2020 and then COVID-19 hit the world and set us back even more. Many would call it quits but we’re here and ready to make my dream a reality. 
 

Our mission for Exhale Café and Bakeshop is to be an inclusive space for our community to take a breath from busy life and enjoy coffee and a sweet treat. We are a simple space located in Township 5 Camillus NY. 

• My goal is to provide my community with more options when they need coffee, desserts, or a quick breakfast or lunch. We will be offering a locally curated coffee selection, quick-bites for breakfast and lunch, and specialty cakes and desserts I have spent a decade perfecting.
   
• Opening a business during COVID-19 has certainly been especially challenging. We had a projected opening of April 1st which didn’t happen. Due to this set back I have been without steady revenue until we were able to start the project back up again.  Before March and the pandemic hit, I chose our location because it is a very busy area with many medical offices including a off site to our major hospital in town and other bustling businesses. The traffic there is very busy and I worked hard to secure a no compete clause in my lease. No other coffee shop or bakery will be in the Township.  
• We strive to use locally sourced goods and ingredients along with Eco-friendly practices with a focus on waste reduction we have been able to buy all our kitchen equipment second hand and we work hard to ensure we limit our plastic consumption. We truly believe that every bit helps to help our planet and we make serious efforts to achieve being sustainable. 
• We are seeking funding to help buy important equipment for our kitchen so we utilize our time and space better. We currently are using 3 house size kitchen aids until we can afford a commercial 20 qt. Not only will this help give us more space to work but it’s also gives me more times to do other things than make 6 batches of frosting in an hour and a half than 1 large batch in 20 minutes. It will also help me tremendously with payroll so I’m not working 15 hour days to get everything done alone. I will be able afford to hire more staff faster which will help run everything more smoothly. 
   
• Our team so far consists of 3 women. Me, the owner who does both front and back of the house duties and works 16 hour days To get it all done. A barista to work front of the house and make coffees and a head baker to help me get orders filled and to fill our case with sweet treats.  
   
• I want to take a moment to thank those who are helping. I would not be here with out the support I’m receiving. It’s been my dream since I was a kid to own my own bakery and I’ve gotten so far. I appreciate you for helping me make my dreams come true. It’s been a long hard battle to get where I am as a queer, woman of color to get my name out there and build my dream. Thank you so much.