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How CounterspaceBR owner Sarah Joy Hays is helping locals feel more confident in the kitchen

It’s all about the chocolate chip cookies. The treats fly out of CounterspaceBR, Sarah Joy Hays’ from-scratch bakery on Perkins Road. With rich, creamy chocolate chips and flaky sea salt, it’s no wonder they’re so popular. A chocolate chip cookie is even the business’ logo.

A quick trip to Counterspace reveals a veritable candyland—a mouthwatering showcase of sweets made with love and fit with flair.

Hays took a winding road to get to this point: The Louisiana native and LSU grad long had a joy for home baking and cooking.

But before returning to Baton Rouge full time with the bakery, she worked for a nonprofit in D.C. She began the bakery in 2017, baking at home and selling at local markets. In 2018, she made the move to White Star Market. Her unique treats like tahini whoopie pies won over the hearts of diners.

Read on for her story, which originally appeared in 225‘s March 2020 edition.