Chef Casey Renee is known for her high-end pastries, elaborate cakes, and whimsical, creative touches — but still loves her classic chocolate chip cookies.
“I don’t know what it is about chocolate chip cookies,” she said. “Maybe it’s you loved eating the batter when you were a kid. (But) I will eat one every day. It’s the only thing I don’t get sick of.”
Intentionally underbaked and topped with premium Maldon sea salt, Renee’s signature chewy chocolate chip has evolved along with her career. A native Pittsburgher, Renee built a local following serving as the executive pastry chef at Ace Hotel’s Whitfield restaurant — earning two James Beard Award semifinalist nominations along the way. Then she opened her own business, Confections, as a special-order bakery in Wilkinsburg in 2019.
Renee will again level up with a storefront bakery in Regent Square, set to open Saturday. The new Confections, located at 1141 South Braddock Ave. — and crowned with a colorful sign promising “delightful baked goods” — will now serve walk-in customers.
Billed as a bakery and cafe, Confections will offer an array of treats including seasonally-inspired scones (jalapeño cheddar is among the first up), muffins, biscuits, cupcakes, macaroons and cookies, including the famous, and now vegan, chocolate chip cookie.
The bakery’s wide selection of vegan and gluten-free treats will also be part of the daily menu, along with fresh coffee from Pittsburgh-based Redstart Roasters.
Renee said the transition from specialty orders (still accepted in limited quantities this spring) to walk-in customers is something she’s excited for. Customer feedback inspired her to expand the bakery’s vegan and gluten-free items, which are still relatively rare locally.
“You have to really experiment, get the right richness, the right moistness, fat,” she said. “(So) just hearing what people want and getting ideas and feedback will be really interesting.”
Confections moved to Regent Square after outgrowing its former space.
“It was always in the back of my head that was the area I’d want be in if I were to do something retail,” Renee said. “As soon as I saw the place, I (said), ‘This is it.’”
A former chiropractic office and tanning salon, the space required near-total interior demolition and a full kitchen build-out. But Renee said it also gave her the chance to create her ideal bakery, now painted a cozy pale pink.
“The first bakery, everything was secondhand, bootleg, free things, a kitchen’s closing, buying stuff discount, put together nickel-and-dime,” she said. “For the new one, I wanted to do this right and made everything nice and intentional and match(ing). I wanted it to be a step up.”
Renee is also eager to join the mix of small businesses along Braddock Avenue.
“I think it’s the perfect fit,” she said.