The Capital City Bakers Alliance believes there’s sweet success in collaboration over competition

Sugar, butter, flour, eggs and salt. When you mix different ingredients together, something special happens. And when different bakers work together, the result can be just as extraordinary.

Better together—that’s the philosophy behind the Capital City Bakers Alliance, a new group designed to promote and support Baton Rouge area bakers. Founded by Kimberly Fansler, owner of Mid City Bakery in Baton Rouge, and Kait Culy, owner of Honey Bee Baking Co. in Port Allen, the Capital City Bakers Alliance strives to be a safe space for local bakers to learn, share and grow.

“Community over competition is definitely the foundation of what we created,” Culy says.

It’s a mindset that’s especially close to Culy’s heart. In late 2022, Culy decided to leave an eight-year career in science and environmental health to pursue baking full time. She was starting from scratch, and she looked to her fellow Baton Rouge bakers for help.

Through spontaneous bakery visits, cold calls and social media messages, Culy began building her own network of support. Steven Gottfried from St. Bruno Bread Co. and Cami Veasman from Smallcakes Cupcakery & Creamery each gave Culy kitchen tours and words of advice—as did Fansler, who had recently decided to invest in her own bakery after years of working in shops for someone else.

After cheering each other on via Instagram direct messages, Fansler and Culy met in person and quickly concluded that they wanted to cultivate and expand a supportive baking community.

With 15 years in the baking industry, Fansler experienced firsthand how competitive and egocentric professional baking scenes can become. She’s a firm believer that it doesn’t have to be that way.

“Everybody has a specialty, and everybody has something that makes theirs different,” Fansler says. “Just because you make a chocolate chip cookie doesn’t mean I can’t make a chocolate chip cookie. There’s no need to be exclusive, because there is room for everybody.”

The Capital City Bakers Alliance intends to create a network of trusted local bakers who champion one another’s strengths. Fansler envisions the alliance as a resource bakers can turn to for help, whether the challenge is learning new skills, hiring new employees or fulfilling overflow orders. Collaboration is at the core of the organization’s mission.

Officially a little over a year old, the Capital City Bakers Alliance hopes to organize more fun events, like cake picnics, and volunteer opportunities, like baking for community fridges, in 2026. Fansler and Culy also hope to begin a mentor program where established bakers can provide guidance to individuals just starting out.

While planning future events, the group remains active on Instagram, reposting job opportunities and pop-up market announcements.

“We’re growing,” Fansler says. “I’m excited to see what kind of bakers and what kind of people are going to join the group and enrich it.”

The group is open to bakers of all skill levels and backgrounds, whether professional, novice or hobbyist. Bakers who are interested in joining should follow @capcitybakers on Instagram and send an email to [email protected] to be added to the contact list.

This article was originally published in the February 2026 issue of 225 Magazine.