Home Community Fresh from the oven: Sweet Treats By C opens in Island Grove

Fresh from the oven: Sweet Treats By C opens in Island Grove

March 5, 2026

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By Mike Anderson

Since Sweet Treats By C opened its doors in Island Grove last December, owner Chelsea Dawe says it’s been hard to keep her baked goods on the shelf.

Whether it’s apple fritters, cinnamon buns or maple bacon donuts, there appears to be an insatiable demand. So much so, she’s decided to open on Sundays, starting this month.

“It’s been constantly busy from the minute we open up the door until we close. We’ve sold out almost every day,” said Dawe.

“A lot of people love to come for our cinnamon buns, fritters, and donuts. Those are definitely our bestsellers, so I make those fresh every day.”

Before she opened the bakery, Dawe sold her muffins, cookies, and cupcakes at ClearWater Farm’s Saturday markets. She also made custom cakes for birthdays, weddings and other celebrations, and supplied Keswick’s Elpida Cafe & Roastery with baked goods.

Dawe says she was hesitant at first to open her own location, but when the Island Grove building became available a second time, she leapt at the opportunity.

“I was two years into starting up my business, and I saw it come up for rent, and it had a commercial kitchen, it had everything. But I wasn’t ready for that yet. But when it came back up last year, I knew I could do it,” she said.

While transitioning from a certified home kitchen to a standalone bakery with employees has been challenging at times, Dawe says she’s been preparing for years and has gotten a lot of support from family and friends.

‘It is a lot of work, and you don’t realize how much it truly is until you’re there behind the scenes doing it,” she said.

“Justin and Amanda from Elpida have been phenomenal with advice and pointers. They’ve been through what to do and not to do. They definitely encouraged me.”

“This past summer, I ran Elpida’s coffee trailer on Sundays. I did that to learn how to make all the drinks. So, I knew when I had the bakery, I didn’t need to go to a course. I already knew how to do it.”

Although Dawe is not a professionally trained baker, she says baking has always been a passion.

“I would always bake for friends and family. I would do my friends’ kids’ birthday cakes. That would be my gift. When you’re giving someone something that you spend hours doing, that’s who you’re thinking about the whole time you’re making it,” said Dawe.

Typically, her bakery offers about 20 baked goods, but Dawe likes to experiment with new flavours and is constantly changing what’s on offer.

“I would always try crazy types of donuts and want to try out some of the flavours. I would watch trends on TikTok and experiment with my friends baking them to see how they tasted,” she said.

“One of our newest creations, which people are obsessed with, was a customer’s idea. She told us she’s been craving funnel cakes. So, she asked if there was any way we could make a funnel cake donut? So we made homemade whipped cream, cut our donut in half and added homemade strawberry jam. And then, we close it over and add icing sugar. Voila. A little funnel cake donut. And it’s not too sweet either. It’s just the perfect combination.”

Dawe is a big believer in shopping local, so her bakery also provides retail space for local products, including wildflower honey from Hive Share, cheesecakes and cake pops from To The Moon and Back Desserts, and sourdough bagels from Meme’s Bakery.

And there’s a collection of books and a kids’ corner, where little ones can play so their parents can enjoy a coffee and a sweet treat.

“When I was younger, I always loved the idea of having a bookstore bakery. I was an avid reader, and I had a big sweet tooth. So it was something I always pictured, but I never dreamed that it would be me owning it,” she said.