Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School Graduate And Caribbean Native Opens Bakery In Forest

Looking for a tasty treat? Bakery owner Sherwin Pilley has you covered, serving up delicious treats at Cakes and Pipers Bakery in Forest, Virginia. 

Pilley grew up in Milton, Massachusetts, and attended Liberty for her first year of college from 2004-2005 before moving to attend Northeastern University, from which she graduated in 2009.

“I knew I wanted to go back home, and I wanted to go to Northeastern, so I went (there), but I was so grateful to have so many great connections at Liberty,” Pilley said.

Pilley studied French cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Cambridge, Massachusetts,  where she first gained an interest in baking. She graduated with a culinary arts degree in the summer of 2009. She then attended law school at the University of California at Irvine before returning to pastry school  at Le Cordon Bleu.

“I decided to go to pastry school at Le Cordon Bleu, which had an extension for patisserie and for applied science, so I got my applied science degree as well as my patisserie degree,” Pilley said. 

Pilley’s return to Lynchburg was inspired by a boss at a former job, who encouraged her to pursue her dream of opening her own bakery. She almost moved to Richmond but didn’t want to live in the city. Lynchburg felt like a happy medium between city and small-town life. 

Pilley, a first-generation American, has roots in the Caribbean, so her baking has a heavy French influence.

“We eat a lot of puff pastry, a lot of savory and salty and sweet, spicy foods, so this stuff that I bake here is kind of like a reflection of what I grew up eating,” Pilley said.

She said her menu also reflects the food she and her family ate in Massachusetts. Pilley was especially excited to bring a uniquely flavored puff pastry to her menu: salted codfish.

“We have our savory puff pastries. My favorite is the salted codfish, which everyone is always like, fish? And I’m like, ‘Yes, it’s so delicious,’” Pilley said.

Pilley said culinary school helped develop her skills while also keeping her up-to-date on the latest bakery trends. 

“I just kind of honed in on all my skills and just kept at it and just kept up to date with trends (be)cause baking is always evolving,” Pilley said.

Pilley sells not only baked goods but also items that she feels the community would enjoy in order to make her brand unique. She teams up with female, minority-owned companies around the country to sell their products in her store. 

Her vendors sell a range of items. Some sell perfume while others sell products like gluten-free, vegan buttercream. 

The Cakes and Pipers Bakery has a cookie of the month, which is currently a cookies and cream and chocolate chip cookie for February. Pilley’s best sellers are her baguettes and biscuits. 

Pilley hopes to expand her brand by eventually opening a Haitian and Dominican food truck.

As a former Liberty student, Pilley loves the school and wants students to come check out the bakery.   

“We are here for the community. We here for the students. I went to Liberty. I have such a huge soft spot in my heart for anyone who goes there because it’s such a great place,” Pilley said. 

Cakes and Pipers Bakery, located at 17980 Forest Road, is open Mondays 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesdays to Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Woolwine is a feature reporter.

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