Pastry chef Emily Wilson left the demanding restaurant business to go it alone, and she is now building a community in West Philadelphia in the process, write Emily Rizzo, Sabrina Iglesias, and Erin Reynolds for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Wilson prepares her delicious baked goods in a professional-quality kitchen in the basement of a Wayne church. After finishing around 150 pastries in about three hours, she heads home. She starts selling her products from a folding table at 10 AM, and there is usually a line of 30 people at least 15 minutes before then..

“There aren’t any rules,” said Wilson. “I’ve set that expectation with my customers. You don’t know where I’m going to be or what I’ll have, but come along for the ride.”

Her customers learned about her danishes, turnovers, cookies, cakes, and West Philly pretzels through word of mouth and social media or by walking by. When they come for pastries they often get more. There is always a sense of community and positive energy in the air as friends run into each other, neighbors chat with one another, and some enjoy coffee from a pop-up espresso machine.

By 10:45 AM, Wilson is usually sold out.

Read more about Emily Wilson and her baked goods enterprise in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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