Meet Ann LoParo | Pastry Chef, CEO & Baking Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ann LoParo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ann, what do you attribute your success to?
The most important factor behind my success is perseverance and learning how to adjust over and over and over and over again. I know that baking is my passion and once I began teaching baking classes, I found a new way to fall in love with baking by helping make it less stressful and more fun for my students.

I have hit a TON of roadblocks and been told many times to give up, and I just cannot stop. I just keep trying to find creative ways to keep this business going. I run it alone with no business background and it is the most challenging thing I have ever taken on. I am 6 1/2 years in and still pushing forward. I have gone from a catering business to a baking school to a virtual baking school to a school without a location for 3 years and recently found a home for my school and its been amazing!

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My baking school helps make baking less stressful and more fun for my students. I am a professional Pastry Chef with an Associate degree in Baking & Pastry Arts from Johnson & Wales University with a home baker mentality. My classes are fun, lighthearted and help students become confident and successful bakers with my step by step guidance and recipes that I have created with my experience as a Pastry Chef for the last 17 years.

I love to bake because it calms me, its magical to put together ingredients that you mix together in a certain order and bake it. You get to control your flavors, and your creativity in my classes. I help you with the foundations of baking and help you know what you can do to make it your own through flavor, and design.

In my classes you are always working independently and taking home your own sweets. The other classes out there make you work in a group setting, charge more than I do and you don’t get to take anything home.

This business has been challenged MANY TIMES! I started this business as a catering business in August 2017, began teaching in 2018 and went virtual in 2020. I lost my location in the pandemic and was driving anywhere and everywhere for 3 years to be able to continue to teach my students.

I finally secured a location in August 2023 and it has been amazing so far to see how happy my students are and how much of a relief it is to be back teaching in person at my own location.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I really love visiting the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, anywhere Italian and anywhere with Ice Cream or great desserts! I haven’t gone out much lately since the business has been on shaky ground for so long, but I am definitely ready to see what I have been missing out there once I can save up some money!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I was at a crossroads 7 years ago and I read the book “You are a badass” by Jen Sincero. It literally changed my life in so many ways. I felt like every word related to what I was going through and it gave me the courage to leave a toxic work environment and take some time to figure out what was next before I eventually started my own business.

The book was empowering, encouraging and made me feel like I could do anything I put my mind to. I was super excited to actually meet Jen Sincero at our local library and it was amazing!

Website: www.anniessignaturesweets.com

Instagram: www.instagram/anniessignaturesweets

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-loparo-092b08131/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/anniessignaturesweets

Other: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/ann-loparo-owner-annies-signature-sweets-16465792331