Cape May Couple Opens Bake Shop in Smithville

Historic Smithville's newest shop opened on Saturday morning, and just minutes after unlocking the doors customers were coming in on an overcast morning to try BumbleBee Bakeshop's sweet and savory scones, cookies, cakes, breads and more.

The shop is one of the few 'scratch bake shops' in south Jersey, according to owners Carla and Matt Haven. Both husband and wife are classically trained pastry chefs who met and were married while at the Culinary Institute of America, just outside of New York City. They were among the first class to earn bachelor's degrees from the school (previously, the school offered only associate's degrees).

BumbleBee's recipes are free of hydrogenated oils, and use only fresh fruits. The selections consist of classics and more contemporary, creative baked goods—one can find chocolate chip cookies, peanut brittle and tiramisu in the very same display cases as bacon & cheddar and pina colada scones.

"Everything humanly possible is made from scratch," said Matt.

Both Matt and Carla have been involved in the food industry since they were teenagers. Carla's parents owned The Mirage in Avalon, NJ, which closed three years ago, and she got her start in the industry by helping her family's business as a teenager.

Matt is a San Diego, California native who started baking in high school and realized while in college that his job at a bake shop was more important to him than his studies, so he worked his way into restaurants and eventually the Culinary Institute.

Before moving BumbleBee to Smithville, for the past three summers the couple owned a bake shop by the same name in Swainton. When they had the chance to open their new shop and keep it open year round, they jumped at the opportunity.

"It was a no-brainer," said Carla.

Although both Carla and Matt both say they find it hard to choose favorites, Carla suggests the lemon meringue pie and the chocolate chip cookie, while Matt is partial to the orange chiboust or any of the scones.

For more information and for location and hours, see the BumbleBee Bakeshop website, or simply drive by Historic Smithville on Moss Mill Road and look for the yellow BumbleBee sign.