×

Cupcakes, cooking classes and camaraderie at Counterspace BR’s new location

From baker to blogger to White Star Market tenant, Sarah Joy Hays and Counterspace BR have been on a boundless trajectory into Baton Rouge culinary fame.

With its tasty desserts and pastries featuring unique flavors, Counterspace BR has been providing the city with Insta-worthy treats—like Tahini Whoopie Pies, Avocado Cornbread Muffins and Funfetti Cakes—that taste as good as they look.

It should make sense then, that after a whirlwind couple of months, Counterspace continues to grow. The bakery is expanding to a second location and adding a few features to its business along the way.

Taking over the former space of Lily’s Restaurant on Perkins Road, Counterspace BR’s second location allows the team to ramp up production of baked goods, as well as providing a baking headquarters for what they sell at White Star Market or through individual orders. Hays explains that tenants at the food hall all share a main kitchen area, and the bakery simply needed more space for larger orders and experimenting with new ideas.

CounterspaceBR is known for its treats like funfetti cake. Photo by Raegan Labat

“I think it was a great entry-level experience in just learning how to run a food business,” Hays says about White Star Market. “So much was already there and in place for you, so you did not have to think about a lot of things. But it also forced me to see what I would have to think about here.”

With a larger space comes larger plans and goals. Beyond it use as a space for increasing production of Counterspace’s cakes and other desserts, the new location will also serve iced and brewed coffee from Mojo Coffee Roasters and grab-and-go snacks from MJ’s Cafe. The bakery will begin focusing on new breakfast options, ranging from red-velvet cinnamon rolls to classic fluffy biscuits.

Hays also plans to eventually update and open the conjoining room as a dining room that can be rented out for events. The room will also provide an area for cooking classes taught by Hays.

“There are just not a lot of spaces in Baton Rouge that you can rent that are not associated with a restaurant and its food,” Hays explains. “I think this could be a really neat opportunity for a small venue or those 20- to 30-person parties where you want to be able to bring in your own stuff and have a quiet nice space with easy parking and not the restraints of in-house required food.”

Counterspace BR on Perkins Road opens to the public this Thursday. The shop, at 3753 Perkins Road, Suite D, will be open Tuesday through Saturday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.