Community Highlights: Meet Nicha Gattas of Born2Bake

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicha Gattas.

Hi Nicha, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Since I was a little girl, it was always a dream to have my own bakery. I was born and raised in Thailand and grew up in my family restaurant where I learned a great deal about cooking and foodservice. After finishing school in Thailand for Hospitality Tourism Management, I came to the United States for a two years baking and pastry program at Laney College in California. It was here where I found my happiness and enjoyment of baking and cake decoration. After finishing this, I worked in the industry for a few years decorating cakes and knew I had the skills to take on my own business. My husband and I opened Born2Bake April 1, 2018 in Littleton, Colorado. It has been quite the journey. We work alongside each other every day and are a true Mom and Pop Bakery. We have basically devoted our lives to this business and have enjoyed seeing it grow and develop. We adore our Littleton / South Denver community and all the people who make Born2Bake possible. We are parents to our beautiful daughter who is our forever motivation and inspiration.

This last year has been especially difficult for ALL businesses but especially restaurants. We have been able to persevere through it, and our operations have been relatively steady thanks to the support of the local community. We have felt the generosity, the kindness, and the good nature of those who we see everyday. No business is successful without the help of amazing employees and we have been blessed to say the least. We have always had a philosophy that this is a family business, including our employees. We all work hard for each other, and what we do is all linked together. One of our employees has been with us since the first day we opened and has been an enormous help through and through. Our bakery has become a special place to us. We feel we have accomplished what we first set out to do, which was to have great food, in a great atmosphere, and simply be successful enough to stay open. Now as we get through Covid 19, we hope to try and take some next steps as a business. We have started to see the opportunity of taking a small dream and making it grow with relentless hard work.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Starting a business from the ground up is certainly a challenge. We put in our life savings and left our previous careers to pursue my passion, and it did start off slowly. The first year we were open seven days a week and often put in 70 hours all while driving across the city to our home in Arvada. We were tired. The 2nd year was going much better, we had seen more consistent sales trends and felt like we were going to be OK. On Friday March 13, 2020 we closed on a home much closer to the bakery but simultaneously began the Covid 19 pandemic. It has been a real wild. We are all living through history right now. We have all made adjustments for Covid. We really tried to reduce costs as much as possible to get through this. There becomes a point where there is only so much you can reduce. Lucky for us the sales were stable enough and we got the support of the local community to keep us going.

We’ve been impressed with Born2Bake, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Born2Bake is a family-owned and operated café / bakery in Littleton, Colorado. We specialize in baked goods including pastries, croissants, custom cakes, wedding cakes, desserts, and coffee. Our products are made in house with high-quality ingredients and served in a cozy atmosphere in the heart of Historic Downtown Littleton. We also offer gluten-free and vegan options. and savory pastries daily. Our cinnamon rolls are really really good! We serve Corvus Coffee and there is always Jazz music playing. It is a very cozy, lovely little place that we are extremely proud of. 🙂

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Owing this business is very different from being an employee of somewhere. It is often both rewarding and problematic. Our previous careers, we were both unfilled and wanted more opportunity for success, Owning a business gives you that opportunity, but you have to devote your life to it. We are still relatively new to owning a business but have already begun to see some of the fruits of our labor. We have always strived to provide excellent hospitality and have a top-notch product. We want every single customer interaction to be positive. To those who may want to start their own bakery, I would say to keep following your dream, keep improving your skills, have the support of those who love you the most, and get ready to work harder than you ever have before.

Contact Info:

• Email: born2bakeco@gmail.com
• Website: www.born2bakebakery.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/born.2.bake/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/born2bakeco/