Crafting exceptional confections in Athens for over 30 years!

Deborah Dykstra

Founder

Deborah Dykstra started baking cakes for friends at the La Leche League more than 3 decades ago, and grew it into a thriving business.

Friends started referring other friends to Deborah, and it became a part-time business while Deborah’s kids were still in school. Before long, people were asking if she would try making family recipes that they struggled to get just right. Deborah worked with the recipes until she was able to make them perfectly every time. With the blessing of the close friend who had supplied the recipe, she started selling the vanilla cake she had perfected. She quickly started adding more flavors to her offerings, and has become an Athens staple for many over the years.

Deborah’s family supported her growing business by helping deliver large wedding cakes, crafting fondant figures on the weekends, and creating structural stability for some of the more complicated cakes. For a time, Deborah expanded into catering for large events, and those were always an “all hands on deck” effort for the family. The annual wedding shows Deborah participated in were also a family effort.

Eventually, Deborah taught her son, Nico, how to make the recipes she’d spent so many years making, and they worked together for a few years before Nico bought the business from Deborah in 2020. Deborah stayed on for another two years, making sure that Nico had a smooth transition into business ownership. Her daughter, Emma, started working in the office in the mornings not long after Nico took over the business from Deborah, learning how to manage the business to keep it thriving. Emma still nannies in the afternoons, but she is now the sole office manager and client liaison, as Deborah retired in October of 2022. In 2021, Nico hired Pam, a decorator trained at Le Cordon Bleu, and she has been a wonderful addition to the team.

Nico, Emma, and Pam are dedicated to continuing Deborah’s business the same way Deborah has always done, with verve, a commitment to excellent taste and design, and the old-fashioned feel of a family-run business.

Meet Our Team

  • Nico Dykstra

    Owner, Baker

    After studying computer science for a bit in college, Nico realized it wasn’t for him and decided to work for a family friend who ran a bakery of his own. When Deborah suggested that he could continue her business when she was ready to retire, Nico started working with her full-time, and he’s been an integral part of the team ever since. Nico enjoys spoiling his orange tabby, Weasley, and gaming in his off time.

  • Emma Dykstra

    Office manager, client coordinator

    Emma attended Agnes Scott College, where she majored in theatre. After graduating, she began nannying, which she still does in the afternoons. She joined the team in 2020, and is glad to be able to work with her brother to continue the business their mother started. In her free time, Emma enjoys working with glass, metal, and resin, and spending time outside, reading, or walking in the woods. An amateur naturalist, she especially enjoys foraging for edible mushrooms and plants. She has two dogs and two cats, and can usually be found snuggling at least one of them when she’s not in the bakery.

  • Pam Xiong

    Cake Decorator

    Pam studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Tucker, GA, and also spent a season working in the kitchens at Disney! Deborah’s is so glad to have Pam on our team and so grateful for the wonderful work she does with us! Pam has a white bunny named Bunjee (pictured here) who loves getting into mischief, and she enjoys spending time with friends, traveling, and learning or perfecting baking techniques when she’s not working.