ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — An at-home bakery business is taking the Edgewater community by storm just weeks after serving its first batch of baked goods.
The Little Orange Cart, located at 1621 Millstone Drive, launched at the start of the month and has continued to pull in customers from across the county.
During its first weekend, the bakery sold out of everything in a matter of hours.
The bakery's menu, which is released every Friday, features a variety of items that range from sourdough cinnamon rolls to brown butter chocolate chip cookies and apple spice cakes à la Little Debbie, among other treats.
The roadside shop is currently open only on Saturday in the Londontowne neighborhood from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., or until all items are sold out.
Come Saturday, it's not hard to find the collection of baked goods packaged and placed for all to see on a repurposed bookstand and, of course, inside an iconic orange cart that's an instant attention-grabber.
The baker behind the operation is Rebecca McGuire, who grew up in Anne Arundel County and developed a love for baking as a young girl mixing and whisking alongside her grandmother.
Throughout the years, however, that time spent with grandma — and an aunt who bakes for a separate business — morphed into a full-blown hobby that became a way to shed off the stresses of the day.
"It's kind of always been, like, a way for me to escape. I call it free therapy," she told Patch.
"Every hour or two I spend in the kitchen a day is just time to decompress, and I feel better, and I did something good to share with other people."
The idea to turn the hobby into today's roadside bakery came while Rebecca was on maternity leave, and was further bolstered by a bet she made with her husband, Jarod McGuire.
If Rebecca sold out during her opening weekend, he would design and build her a personalized cart, complete with wheels to optimize her setup time.
On Aug. 29, Rebecca did just that. Now, the ball is in Jarod's court.
He told Patch the cart was in the design phase, noting that the pressure was on to make sure he delivered on his end of the deal.
Over the last three weekends, dozens of residents have either walked up or driven over to The Little Orange Cart for a sweet treat.
"I just really appreciate the community's support. It's just been great," Rebecca told Patch.
"Everyone's super supportive. They're excited to see us, they're coming to see us multiple times. So I'm really excited."
As a special thank you to supporters across the region, Rebecca has launched Rollin' It Forward, an initiative that sees a special batch of cinnamon rolls donated to a resident or group that helps support and uplift the community.
The first batch of cinnamon rolls was given to the staffers at the Edgewater Volunteer Fire Department. See the announcement.
First responders from the department had stepped in to help the McGuires when one of their young sons choked on a piece of food.
Residents can nominate a person or group of their choosing by messaging Rebecca through The Little Orange Cart's Facebook page.
See the weekend setup in action.
Looking over her growing business, Rebecca said she's not sure just yet what the future holds. But what's for certain is that she won't be putting any caps on what it could become.
"Part of what makes this so special and what's made it so successful thus far is the people right here," Rebecca said.
"It's a lot of work, but there's nothing better than seeing everyone's smiling faces and meeting new people and getting messages from people I've never met before saying, 'this is the best cinnamon roll I've ever had.'"
"I just really appreciate everyone," she stressed.
Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Edgewater Patch
Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.