I’m Stephen, the guy behind Bubs Baked, a small cottage bakery here in Anna, Texas. I’m a husband, a dad, a lifelong New Yorker, and, after a pretty unexpected turn in life, a cookie baker.
Baking actually started for me about 18 years ago, when I began making ginger cookies for friends, coworkers, and family during the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays. People kept telling me how good they were, so I started experimenting with other flavors, including my favorite cookie, the oatmeal raisin that would eventually become one of my best tasting cookie.
Bubs Baked started as a side gig in 2020, but like a lot of small businesses, life and the pandemic put things on hold. In 2025, I decided to stop treating it like a hobby and go all in. What started with a few batches of cookies in my kitchen has grown into a local business serving people around Anna, Melissa, McKinney, and the surrounding communities.
I’m not trying to reinvent the cookie or chase whatever food trend happens to be popular. I just want to make really good, homemade cookies and pies using classic ingredients, big flavors, and a little personality and hopefully become the local cookie guy people think of when they want something worth remembering.
When did the idea for your business first take shape, and what inspired you to pursue it?
The idea really took shape when I realized there was something I genuinely enjoyed doing that also brought people together. I’ve always believed there’s something different about homemade food. It doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated it just has to be really good.
A coworker said I was crazy when I put baking on the back burner, instead of going all in. That stuck with me for 2 years.
What inspired me most was the reaction people had to my cookies. They weren’t just saying, “That’s a good cookie.” People were asking where they could get more, telling me about their favorite flavors, and sharing them with their families. That made me wonder if I could turn something I enjoyed making for the people around me into something bigger.
I also saw an opportunity to do things my own way. I wasn’t interested in trying to compete with the giant cookie chains or make enormous, over the top cookies just because that was the trend. I wanted Bubs Baked to feel local, personal, and familiar. The kind of place where you get a really good cookie made by an actual person who lives in your community.
That became the foundation for Bubs Baked. Simple idea, great ingredients, homemade flavor, and a business that feels like a person rather than a corporation.
What do you remember most about getting the business off the ground?
The nerves. The unknown. Doing my very first market with The Melissa Market. Thinking "are people actually going to buy my cookies?"
Building a business comes with its share of surprises. What have been some of the harder moments you've had to work through?
One of the hardest parts has been learning that making the cookies is actually the easy part. Building a business around them is a completely different story.
There have been plenty of moments where I’ve questioned whether I’m doing enough, spending too much, or simply wasting my time. You can spend hours baking, packaging, taking pictures, posting on social media, preparing for a market and then wonder if anyone is going to show up and buy anything. That uncertainty can be tough.
There’s also the challenge of balancing Bubs Baked with being a husband, a dad, and everything else life throws at you. Since this is a small cottage bakery, there isn’t a big staff behind the scenes. All of the baking, planning, selling, marketing, and problem solving falls on me.
But probably the biggest lesson has been learning to keep going even when things don't happen as quickly as you'd like. Some markets are great. Some aren't. Some products take off immediately, while others need time. You have to be willing to learn, adjust, and keep showing up.
I think that's probably been the hardest and most rewarding part of building Bubs Baked. Realizing that success isn't one big moment. It's a lot of small moments where you decide to keep going.
Looking back, what has running your business taught you that you didn’t expect to learn?
Im not baking for everyone. Im baking for those who appreciate what goes into making the cookies and pies I produce. I use top ingredients and everything is fresh. Im not charging $5/cookie because I want to. Im charging that because I stand over my stove making homemade blueberry compote for my blueberry white chocolate cookies. Fresh raspberries and lemon zest I zest myself for my Lemon Raspberry cookies. Attractive (and more expensive) packaging that brings the total experience together. Those who appreciate and understand what goes into are the people I bake for.
What does your business do, and what can people in your community come to you for?
Bubs Baked is a small, local cottage bakery based in Anna, Texas, specializing in homemade cookies and pies. We make the kind of desserts that are familiar and comforting, but with enough variety that there’s always something new to try.
People in the community can come to us for cookies for a family gathering, a date night, a movie night, a birthday, a special occasion, or honestly, just because they want a really good cookie. We offer everything from classics like oatmeal raisin and chocolate chip to more unique flavors like darkchocolatecaramelseasalt and our best seller, oatmeal cream pie.
We also make homemade pies and other desserts, and you can find us at local markets and community events around Anna, Melissa, and the surrounding area.
At the end of the day, Bubs Baked is pretty simple. We're here to make really good homemade desserts, serve our neighbors, and give people something they can look forward to bringing home.
When someone chooses your business, what do you hope they notice or experience that sets you apart?
I hope people notice that Bubs Baked feels personal.
When someone chooses Bubs Baked, I don't want them to feel like they're simply buying a cookie or a pie from a business. I want them to feel like they're buying something from someone they know. I want people in the community to feel like they know me on a personal level—who I am, why I started this, and how much I genuinely enjoy what I'm doing.
The connections I make with people are just as important to me as the taste of the cookies and pies. Whether it's someone I meet at a local market, a customer who comes back every week, or someone who tells a friend about us, those relationships are a huge part of why I love doing this.
Of course, the food has to be good. We care about the ingredients, the flavors, the texture, and all the little details that go into making something worth coming back for. But I don't want Bubs Baked to be remembered only because someone loved a cookie.
I want them to remember the person who handed it to them, the conversation we had, the laugh we shared, or the feeling that they were supporting someone right here in their own community.
To me, that's what makes a small local business special. The cookies and pies might bring people in, but the connections are what make them come back.
What keeps you excited about the work you do?
Honestly, it’s the people.
I love seeing someone try one of my cookies for the first time and watching their reaction. I love when someone comes back to tell me that a cookie they bought last time was their new favorite. Or when someone says "I was told ypur the booth I needed to visit." Those little moments never really get old.
I also love that there’s always something new to figure out. I can experiment with a new flavor, change a recipe, come up with a new way to sell something, or meet someone at a market who I never would have crossed paths with otherwise. No two days really feel the same.
And there’s something incredibly satisfying about taking something that started in my own kitchen and watching people in the community enjoy it. I'm not just making cookies. I’m building relationships and creating something that people can associate with a good memory.
I think that’s what keeps me excited. I get to be creative, I get to feed people, I get to meet people, and I get to build something that is genuinely mine. And when someone takes a bite and says, “Holy cow, this is good,” well, that certainly helps too.
What does being a local business owner mean to you, and what do you appreciate most about the community you’re part of?
There are a few things that are really important to me when it comes to running Bubs Baked.
First, be genuine. I don't want Bubs Baked to feel like a manufactured brand. It's me, my family, our kitchen, and something we've built from the ground up. I want people to know the person behind the business and feel like they're dealing with a real person, not a corporation. In New York, I did stand up comedy for over a decade. Connecting with my audience feels like a natural progression.
Second, quality matters. I would rather sell fewer cookies that I'm genuinely proud of than put something out there just to make a sale. If I'm going to put the Bubs Baked name on it, I want to be able to stand behind it.
I also believe in treating people the way I want to be treated. Every customer matters, whether they're buying one cookie at a market or ordering for a big event. The relationships we build in this community are just as valuable to me as the sales.
And finally, I believe in staying true to who we are. I'm not interested in chasing every trend or trying to be something we're not. Bubs Baked is about classic, homemade desserts, made with care, a little personality, and a genuine connection to the people we're serving.
At the end of the day, I want people to think of Bubs Baked and know exactly what they're getting. Good food, good people, and a business that actually cares about its community.
Is there a customer story that has stayed with you?
I had someone visiting family from Florida discover me at an even at TUPS Brewery in Mckinney. I thought that was the last I'd see her. But 6 months later, she was visiting TX again, and she reached out to me to buy a dozen cookies she could share with her family. She said she was looking forward to coming back to TX, just to get her hands on my cookies again.
What do you hope people remember about your business after they’ve experienced it?
My kindness, my humor, and how much better my cookies taste than 90% of big corporations cookies out there.