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Vibe check: This new Pasadena bakery is blowing up on TikTok
BadAsh Bakes on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena is a brand new bakery that's already gained a devoted following.
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Erin Stone
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There’s a new bakery on the block, and it’s blowing up on TikTok. BadAsh Bakes Bakery and Cafe soft opened in Pasadena last week, and lines have been out the door since.
The place has gained tens of thousands of followers on Instagram and TikTok, with many patrons following the baking journey of owner Ashley Cunningham on social media over the years.
And now they’re excited to taste her pastries in real life.
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Vibe check: This new Pasadena bakery is blowing up on TikTok
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Joanna Cabrera made the trek from South L.A. to the Colorado Boulevard spot on a recent morning.
“I got the brownie, coffee cakes, cinnamon rolls, and a bunch of cookies, and of course, a coffee,” Cabrera said.
Joanna Cabrera of South L.A. came out to Pasadena to taste pastries from the new BadAsh Bakery in Pasadena.
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Erin Stone
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LAist
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Cookies at the new Pasadena bakery BadAsh Bakes Bakery and Cafe.
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Erin Stone
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LAist
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She started with the coffee cake, which did not disappoint.
“It reminds me of the LAUSD coffee cake, which is amazing,” Cabrera said.
The cookies too were baked to perfection. “ Delicious. Nice and thin and crispy, but not too crispy,” she said.
Keisha Johnson of North Hollywood has already been to BadAsh Bakes bakery twice since it soft launched last week.
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Keisha Johnson of North Hollywood made a second visit to get another taste of the banana pudding.
“I'm from the South, so I'm like very critical of banana pudding. That's my favorite dessert, and [Cunningham] nailed it. So your grandma got some competition for sure,” Johnson said with a laugh.
Cunningham grew up in the San Fernando Valley and fell in love with cooking at a young age. At 16 she was competing in culinary competitions. She ended up earning a full scholarship to the Art Institute of North Hollywood, graduating with a degree in the Science of Culinary Arts.
She became a private chef for NBA players and chronicled her work on Instagram and later TikTok. She started baking on the side.
“ It was a hobby,” Cunningham told LAist. “I actually made a wedding cake for my cousin, and that's where I started baking. I just wanted the cake to be really good.”
Ashley Cunningham, a professional chef, founded Pasadena's newest bakery BadAsh Bakes Bakery and Cafe on Colorado Boulevard.
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Erin Stone
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She posted her baking videos online as well, and people loved them. She started racking up views.
“It sort of took on a life of its own,” Cunningham said, “I started making a lot of cookies. People wanted to buy them, so I used to sell cookies out of my kitchen.”
And now she’s launched her first brick-and-mortar bakery. The grand opening is still to come. But already, fans are piling in.
“Our tagline is ‘love made visible,’ and to see so many people come in here so excited ... it's so fulfilling,” Cunningham said. “What's making me the happiest is that it meets their expectations. When you watch someone online and you're like, ‘Oh, that looks good,’ but to actually try it and then enjoy it. ... I think people are happy.”
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