From baker to blogger to White Star Market tenant, Sarah Joy Hays and Counterspace BR have been on a boundless trajectory into Baton Rouge culinary fame.
With its tasty desserts and pastries featuring unique flavors, Counterspace BR has been providing the city with Insta-worthy treats—like Tahini Whoopie Pies, Avocado Cornbread Muffins and Funfetti Cakes—that taste as good as they look.
It should make sense then, that after a whirlwind couple of months, Counterspace continues to grow. The bakery is expanding to a second location and adding a few features to its business along the way.
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Taking over the former space of Lily’s Restaurant on Perkins Road, Counterspace BR’s second location allows the team to ramp up production of baked goods, as well as providing a baking headquarters for what they sell at White Star Market or through individual orders. Hays explains that tenants at the food hall all share a main kitchen area, and the bakery simply needed more space for larger orders and experimenting with new ideas.
“I think it was a great entry-level experience in just learning how to run a food business,” Hays says about White Star Market. “So much was already there and in place for you, so you did not have to think about a lot of things. But it also forced me to see what I would have to think about here.”
With a larger space comes larger plans and goals. Beyond it use as a space for increasing production of Counterspace’s cakes and other desserts, the new location will also serve iced and brewed coffee from Mojo Coffee Roasters and grab-and-go snacks from MJ’s Cafe. The bakery will begin focusing on new breakfast options, ranging from red-velvet cinnamon rolls to classic fluffy biscuits.
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Hays also plans to eventually update and open the conjoining room as a dining room that can be rented out for events. The room will also provide an area for cooking classes taught by Hays.
“There are just not a lot of spaces in Baton Rouge that you can rent that are not associated with a restaurant and its food,” Hays explains. “I think this could be a really neat opportunity for a small venue or those 20- to 30-person parties where you want to be able to bring in your own stuff and have a quiet nice space with easy parking and not the restraints of in-house required food.”
Counterspace BR on Perkins Road opens to the public this Thursday. The shop, at 3753 Perkins Road, Suite D, will be open Tuesday through Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.