By ZOË WATKINS – [email protected]
The Garden is a newly renovated Wartrace building and the home of Chabbi’s Sweets and Eats Bakery.
Located on the corner of East Main Street, it is a welcoming green stucco building. Upon entering, guests are greeted with the warm smells of carrot cake, fudge, and muffins. Antique furnishings make sitting in the room a unique place to enjoy a cup of coffee and chat with bakery owners Becky Lamastus and her husband Gary.
Becky met Shelia LeDere, owner of The Garden and The Old Petticoat and Seven on Main businesses, a few years ago.
Shelia’s vision for The Garden is an outdoor venue and formal garden. She hopes to turn the carriage house into a shabby chic shed with French doors, while the lawn will be decked out with tables and chairs and even tree sconces for guests to relax and enjoy Wartrace.
It’s just one of many new businesses coming to the small warehouse town to meet the “needs of the people,” according to Shelia.
Chabbi’s
Originally from Indiana and Louisiana, respectively, Becky and Gary made their home in the Unionville area of Chapel Hill, where she ran Chabbi’s Fudge and More online bakery.
The name “Chabbi” comes from a combination of Lamastus’ granddaughters Charlie and Abbi.
But where did Becky get her baking skills from? Well, Becky said that she “she just did it.” While she was growing up, she did a lot of baking with her grandmother and her aunt.
As his saying goes: “I bake to make others happy”.
He began by making small cakes, breads, and sweets. “And she got bigger. People started asking me to make cakes.”
Fudge is your best seller. But Becky said she also likes to make cakes and cinnamon rolls, as well as peanut balls, which she custom makes with Oreos, cereal, and M&Ms.
Although she is an excellent baker, Becky says, “I don’t do much on the cooking side. Can I. But I choose to bake.”
Before getting into baking, Becky was part of the restaurant industry, working in management. So the transition to this new bakery was pretty smooth.
“This is a completely new avenue. Normally, I have an idea of what to sell based on past sales.”
Wartrace Vendor Fair events helped with that, where she sold baked goods at different festivals.
“So it blew up on this,” he said.
“We put this together quickly and got it done,” Gary said.
But Becky and Gary aren’t done yet.
In addition to working in her building, Becky said they plan to start selling more hearty foods like burgers and sandwiches in addition to their biscuits and gravy.
And of course, they love the Wartrace area for its small town feel.
“Small businesses are important because they are about the people and keep the community going,” he said.
“You have to keep the small town mentality,” Gary added.
In the end, what they most look forward to is growing and working with the community.
Gary adds, “Plus, I like working with my wife… We’d always talk about doing something together.” They have been married for almost 12 years.
Right now, Chabbi’s is open from 8:30 am to 4 pm Tuesday through Friday and from 8 am to 4 pm on Saturdays. Visit their Facebook page Chabbi’s Sweets and Eats for more information or call (931) 434-3221.