Second only to the proliferation of takeout and delivery, the rise of the at-home bakery dominated Miami’s culinary landscape during the lockdown. From trained pastry chefs and award-winning bakers to skilled cooks, people across South Florida turned their private kitchens into small commissaries for sweet innovations. Instagram was everyone’s preferred place of business, luring customers with vibrant shots of oozing chocolate chip cookies and towering cakes made by the same hands who photographed them and—in most cases—were responsible for delivering them. With their entrepreneurial spirits and mindblowing creations, these small ventures have changed the local dessert game for the better.
Chunky Monkey Bars
The Fontainebleau Miami Beach’s head pastry chef, Tobias Smith, is doing magical things with three simple ingredients: bananas, chocolate and peanuts. First with his signature bars—think the perfect three-way marriage between a Klondike, a Snickers and Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey, topped with gold flakes—then with his soft banana cookies and most recently with poppable chocolate truffles. Smith makes each batch fresh and provides free delivery anywhere in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. Order online.
Casa Fête
Two Mexican-born guys with impeccable tastes (and serious Instagram followings) are behind Casa’s roscas— large, ring-shaped cakes made with crunchy bits of cereal, sugar and 100-percent Belgium chocolate, among other things. They come in a variety of flavors, such as s’mores (I Love You S’More) and brownie (Charlie Brownie), and beautifully packaged for gifting or just wowing your dinner guests. Order via WhatsApp.