Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley.
Ashley, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Getting to where I am now has been quite the adventure! I started my first small business as a protein cookie and lactation cookie company when I was a new mom. The Cookie Bar Queen was my project, and pretty much identity, from 2017-2025. I attended trade shows, farmers markets, and dipped my toes into wholesale. As I grew, I began making unhealthy desserts by request. This was a lot more fun and allowed me to get more creative, which I loved! Sweets ultimately helped me expand into the catering industry, making desserts for local caterers and working along side several amazing chefs. I was even contracted for the Super Bowl, doing desserts for the official NFL Tailgate Party! That was easily the coolest thing I’ve ever done.
I’ve had catering or opening a small restaurant as a “back burner” goal forever because I am just as passionate about cooking as I am baking. This year, I finally took the leap! In January of 2026, Ashley B Small Bites & Confectionary came into the scene with a focus on hearty, eye catching grazing stations, unique and satisfying brunch items, and a fully custom in-house dessert menu… did I mention everything is always scratch made?
This year has been really special and humbling because not only have I been able to cater special events like weddings, company celebrations, and milestone birthdays; I’ve also been immediately asked to come back for more functions by many of these same clients.
Food is so impactful and being trusted to deliver amazingness is truly an honor, every single time. I’m ecstatic to how well my menus have been received and can’t wait to show more of what I have to offer!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I’m pretty grateful for the lessons I’ve learned in the last 8-ish years, because they really have helped make this transition go a lot more smoothly than I expected! To be fair, I did spend months overthinking every detail and writing one hell of a business plan before I took any action, so the real struggles have mostly been my brain vs. my brain. I think a lot of other small business owners can relate to that mental battle.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Something I think is really special, and a little bit funny, about my company is that the menu is literally just a list of things I love to eat. Rather than trying to please everyone with a gargantuan, all inclusive, ever changing menu, I’m making things I know I execute incredibly. My menu is full of things that are influenced by my childhood addiction to the Food Network; with perfectly balanced flavors, complexity, and love put into each step. My goal is to make you want a little bit of everything by just looking at it.
My favorite style of service, as a guest, has always been lingering around the food, grazing and socializing. So when I planned my company, I decided that making show-stopping grazing and dessert stations would be my focus. Having a menu full of “small bites” just seems so much more approachable than a buffet full of side dishes and an entree. My philosophy is “make it small so they try it all!”
What matters most to you? Why?
In business, the most important thing to me is that I always exceed expectations. I want clients to be literally dreaming of their favorite dish and reminiscing about how effortless it was to host. There are just some parts of being an overachiever that you can’t turn off and external validation, especially about food, gives you a high that is pretty hard to compete with.
In my personal life, the ability to plan my schedule around my kids is the most important thing to me. That was one of my biggest motivators to expanding and ultimately starting a new company. Knowing that I can mark my calendar as “busy” for conferences, school breaks, or just a day trip with my kids is a freedom that is incredibly valuable as a single parent. It’s also been really rewarding educating them about all of the processes, letting them see things I have to study, and showing them that you can really bring your ideas to life if you work for it!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Ashleymade.co
- Instagram: @ashley.made.co
