CHARLOTTE — Maria Caceres and Jay Byrd’s journey together started more than a decade ago.
Byrd, who is from West Virginia, was working as a restaurant architect, and Caceres, a native Guatemalan, was a server.
“I met Jay and then he asked for my phone number, and here we are 12 years later,” Caceres said.
Neither had much baking experience so they spent several years planning their business and perfecting their cinnamon buns before launching Bun Appetit in 2018.
They sold their small-batch pastries at business centers and then shifted to popups at apartment complexes during the pandemic.
“We lost businesses that had 7,000 people working there, so what are we going to do?” Caceres said.
The pair also started selling their made-from-scratch buns at the Matthews Community Farmers Market.
The weekly market has allowed Bun Appetit to build a loyal following, making the long nights in the kitchen worth it.
“We have ladies that came before they got pregnant, during pregnancy and now they come with their babies and it’s so much fun … we love it,” Caceres said.
You can find Bun Appetit every Saturday at the Matthews Community Farmers’ Market (188 N. Trade Street) and the Uptown Farmers’ Market (300 S. Davidson Street), and every other Saturday at the Davidson Farmers’ Market (120 S. Main Street).
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