This article was originally published on Crafting Your Home. A human contributor also wrote and edited the post.
PASADENA, Calif. When Ashley Cunningham opened the doors to BadAsh Bakes Bakery and Cafe, she was not starting from zero. She was welcoming thousands of customers who had already followed her journey from a home kitchen to a nationally recognized baking brand.
For many small business owners, the hardest part of opening a storefront is convincing people to walk through the door. Cunningham had already solved that challenge years earlier, building a loyal online community through baking videos, cookie shipments and personal storytelling.
The result was a rare opening day advantage. When BadAsh Bakes launched its first brick-and-mortar location on Colorado Boulevard, customers arrived in large numbers, creating lines that stretched outside the shop and turning a soft opening into one of Pasadena’s most talked-about food events.
The bakery’s rise shows how social media is changing the traditional path to entrepreneurship. Instead of opening a store and hoping customers discover it, Cunningham built the audience first and brought that community with her.
A home kitchen idea becomes a Pasadena destination.
BadAsh Bakes officially opened its first storefront at 247 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena on April 29, 2025, according to KTLA. The opening followed years of growth that began with Cunningham making baked goods from her home kitchen and sharing the process online.
The soft launch quickly attracted attention. LAist reported that customers lined up outside the bakery during its first week, driven by the audience Cunningham had developed through years of social media content. Pasadena Now also reported that the bakery initially operated daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the soft-opening period before announcing its formal grand opening.
The early crowds were not simply the result of curiosity surrounding a new restaurant. Many customers already felt connected to Cunningham’s story because they had watched her create recipes, package orders, and grow the brand online.
That relationship between creator and customer helped BadAsh Bakes avoid the uncertainty many new businesses face during their first days. Instead of introducing a completely unknown brand, Cunningham opened with a built-in community ready to support her next step.
The chef behind the viral bakery
Cunningham’s journey into baking began long before social media attention arrived. According to LAist, she grew up in the San Fernando Valley and developed an interest in cooking at a young age, competing in culinary competitions when she was 16.
She later attended the Art Institute of North Hollywood through a scholarship program and earned a degree in the Science of Culinary Arts, according to LAist. Her professional background also includes working as a private chef for NBA players and celebrities, experience that helped shape her approach to food, presentation and hospitality.
But BadAsh Bakes did not begin as a traditional restaurant concept. It started as a side project built around cookies made in her home kitchen.
Cunningham told LAist that the project grew beyond her expectations after people began asking to purchase her baked goods. She eventually began shipping cookies nationwide to customers who discovered her through social media, creating a direct connection between her online audience and her growing business.
The bakery’s name also reflects that online beginning. According to KTLA, the brand was inspired by Cunningham’s Instagram identity, “So Bad Ash,” which became the foundation for the business name.
Colorado Boulevard becomes the stage for a new food attraction.
The location of BadAsh Bakes adds another layer to its story. The bakery sits along Colorado Boulevard, one of Pasadena’s most recognizable commercial areas and a major route associated with the city’s annual Rose Parade.
The corridor has long attracted shoppers, visitors and residents looking for restaurants and local businesses. Adding a bakery with a dedicated online following has given people another reason to visit the area.
According to the bakery’s website, Cunningham launched her cookie business in 2021 and transitioned to working on it full-time in 2023. The storefront opening in 2025 represented the result of several years of gradual growth rather than an overnight success.
That timeline is important because it shows the difference between viral attention and sustainable business development. Cunningham spent years testing products, building trust, and learning what customers wanted before investing in a physical location.
Why BadAsh Bakes became more than another bakery
BadAsh Bakes represents a growing trend among modern entrepreneurs: using social media as a foundation for a traditional business.
Before opening her doors, Cunningham had already built brand awareness, tested products, and developed a customer base. LAist reported that the bakery had accumulated a significant online following before launching its Pasadena location, giving the business a level of visibility many new storefronts do not have.
The bakery’s menu also reflects the visual nature of social media. According to Pasadena Now, customers can find items such as matcha cinnamon rolls, banana bread, coffee cake and muffins in the morning. At the same time, afternoon offerings include cornbread cookies, red velvet cake, brownies and banana pudding.
KTLA highlighted popular items including the bakery’s matcha and classic cinnamon rolls, along with the “LAUSD coffee cake,” a creation inspired by the school cafeteria treat Cunningham remembered from her childhood.
These products are not only designed to taste good but also to create memorable experiences that customers want to share online. Each colorful dessert becomes another piece of marketing for the brand.
Cunningham has also built the bakery around a simple message: “love made visible.” She told LAist that the phrase represents the connection between food, creativity, and the emotions customers experience when they receive something made with care.
A business model other small entrepreneurs are watching
The success of BadAsh Bakes reflects a broader shift in how small businesses launch. Social media platforms now allow entrepreneurs to build communities before making major investments in physical locations.
For food businesses especially, online platforms can serve as a testing ground. Entrepreneurs can introduce new products, collect customer reactions, and create demand before paying the costs associated with a storefront.
Cunningham’s path shows how digital audiences can become real-world customers. The followers who watched her baking videos became the people waiting outside her Pasadena shop.
For Pasadena, the bakery has become another attraction along Colorado Boulevard, adding to the area’s growing reputation as a destination for unique food experiences.
Nearly a year after opening, Pasadena Magazine reported that BadAsh Bakes continued drawing strong customer interest, suggesting that the bakery’s popularity extended beyond its initial social media excitement.
The story of BadAsh Bakes is ultimately about more than cookies and cinnamon rolls. It is about how a modern entrepreneur turned a personal passion into a community gathering place, proving that sometimes the road to a successful storefront begins long before the first customer walks through the door.
Cunningham continues sharing updates, behind-the-scenes moments, and new creations through the same social platforms that helped build her business, including Instagram and TikTok, keeping the connection between her digital audience and Pasadena bakery alive.
If you like what you just read, then subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.
