Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

MEET: WONDERLAND BAKERY:

Celebrity endorsements have helped whimsical bakery rise to prominence

Wonderland Bakery

COURTESY

Allyson Ames, baker and founder, poses at Wonderland Bakery.

Wonderland Bakery

Address: 2010 Festival Plaza, Suite 150, Las Vegas

Phone: 702-363-3333

Email: [email protected]

Website: wonderlandbakery.com

Hours and days of operation: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday

Owned/operated by: Allyson Ames

In business since: 2005 (in Las Vegas since January)

Describe your business.

Wonderland specializes in desserts and whimsical products such as custom cupcakes, cakes, cookies and themed gift baskets. With a private party room, the bakery is a great place for celebrations.

Who are your customers?

Wonderland customers are the young, young at heart and anyone with a sweet tooth. Our customers are families celebrating in our private party room, friends looking for a sweet fix, couples getting married and wanting a magical wedding cake, companies looking for a unique branded gift, concierges looking for last-minute custom desserts for hotel guests, and special-event planners.

Your bakery has had a lot of celebrity attention. Who are some famous celebrities you have baked for?

We have created a wide variety of custom orders for the president, professional athletes, musicians and movie/TV stars.

Whoopi Goldberg declared us to have “the Best Gingerbread in the U.S.” after a national search and taste test, with the final results broadcasted on “The View.” She still orders hundreds of cookies every holiday.

In 2008, Barack Obama was smitten with Wonderland Bakery cookies when a celebrity client sent him a batch of gingerbread and sugar cookies during the holidays. The White House called shortly after to ask if we could create a custom cookie for the Inaugural Ball. Although we are a nonpartisan bakery, we are honored to be selected as the White House’s favorite cookie.

What was your inspiration behind Wonderland Bakery?

I was born with a sweet tooth. From age 5 I was in the kitchen baking and creating desserts.

I wanted Wonderland to be reminiscent of my childhood favorites, with dashes of Willy Wonka, Candyland and Disneyland blended together to delight sweet lovers of any age.

What is the hardest part about doing business in Las Vegas?

So far, it has been adapting to the new climate. The heat and delicate baked goods do not mix well. We have had to come up with new packaging techniques, along with adjusting our recipes to the new elevation and weather. This has actually helped us create new treats in the process, such as macaron ice cream sandwiches to help beat the heat.

What is the best part about doing business here?

The city never sleeps. Everyone loves to party when they come to Las Vegas, and we create memorable specialty cakes and desserts to help them celebrate in style. We have a whole new mix of celebrities who are in town to celebrate, and it’s our job to create over-the-top cakes for them. This is an element we do not have in California.

What have you learned from the recession?

Our industry has not been affected by the recession as drastically as others. The wonderful thing about our business is everyone still has birthdays, weddings, baby showers and special events to celebrate. Stopping in to pick out a gourmet treat is an affordable luxury.