a mother & Daughter who make a sweet team -
Hi everyone,
So, where do we begin?
I’ll start by introducing myself. My name is Yajaira. I’m 50 years old and a retired sergeant with the New City Police Department. In July of 2019, after serving for 21 years, I decided to retire and begin a new chapter in my life.
My soulmate—our best friend—and I retired together. We had so many plans for retirement and for our future. But then COVID changed the world drastically. Personally, it wrecked our lives and the future we had envisioned. COVID took Jay from us on August 31, 2021, and five months later, that same horrible virus took my dad.
To say the least, my daughter and I were heartbroken and lost. Life as we knew it was gone.
After getting through that first life-changing year, I started thinking about moving away from Long Island, New York. Surviving our first summer without him was incredibly hard, but Amanda and I decided to honor our dreams and bucket list as best as we could—because we knew that’s exactly what Jay would’ve wanted us to do. It hasn’t been easy, and it still isn’t.
I began searching for a place where I could hopefully find some peace, and I found that here in South Carolina. In February 2023, I moved into what has become our dream home—it found its way to me. Though transitioning without him was incredibly challenging and not how I ever imagined it, I quickly realized that South Carolina was where we were meant to be. Jay would’ve loved it here.
One of the dreams we always talked about—the three of us—was having a business that brought together what we love to do. Amanda graduated from Johnson & Wales University with a bachelor's degree in Baking & Pastry and Food Service Management, along with a minor in Sports, Entertainment, and Event Management. She’s been in the food and hospitality industry for over 13 years. Within her first year and a half at a large supermarket, she was already running the bakery department—becoming one of the youngest female department heads.
From a young age, she’s always loved baking and dreamed of having her own bakery—one that reflects all she’s learned and experienced over the years. When Jay and I retired, we agreed we wanted to help her achieve that dream. We talked about investing in her business plan and all the amazing ideas she had. It was a family dream.
In addition to Amanda’s love for baking, our family has always had a passion for event planning. Even through my hardest days, creating or planning something for someone else brings me a sense of peace and happiness. I love seeing others smile. I even incorporated that passion into my NYPD career. For the last eight years of my service, I worked in the Ceremonial Unit, responsible for all the department's events—from parades and graduations to, sadly, officers’ funerals. I also coordinated Family Day events for new officers—and Amanda was always right by my side, helping and setting up the baked goods table.
During our family dinners, we often talked about opening a bakery and incorporating my event planning experience after retirement. We dreamed of traveling first, but life had other plans—and for a while, I wasn’t sure I had the strength to carry out that vision.
Then I remembered that Amanda once worked at Smallcakes, and she had loved the experience. She learned she could one day own her own location—and that opened up a new possibility. She loved the idea of building something unique, starting with the location, the layout, and the services we could offer—from cupcakes and cakes to a coffee bar, ice cream station, catering, and event hosting.
When I learned more about the Smallcakes company and realized it could give us the opportunity to bring our family dream to life, it gave me hope. A way forward.
The last four years have been a whirlwind—difficult and nothing like I expected—but one thing has remained constant: the peace and joy we find in serving others and bringing happiness into people’s lives. With the support of our loved ones and the incredible opportunity Smallcakes and South Carolina have given us, we decided this wasn’t just a way to keep Jay’s and my wishes for Amanda alive—it was a way for us to embark on this journey together.
We’re honored to pour our love and passion into something that brings joy to others.
So here we are—feeling very blessed, full of gratitude, hope, and so much excitement.
Our mission is simple:
“Make every day a lil’ sweeter.”
With love & gratitude,
Yajaira & Amanda
