EATS

By Richard Posluszny

“Is this it?” is a question that many young adults tend to find themselves asking. Whether they’re going through a rough patch or stuck in a profession that isn’t speaking to their passions, it isn’t uncommon for a person to have a realization that adulting isn’t exactly fun.

When people find they’re at this fork in the road, there’s essentially two paths. If you’re risk averse, you can take the high road and pursue a fairly normal existence in the corporate arena. Or, if you’re willing to take a leap of faith, you can dig deep and chase your dream.

For Despina Kontomanolis, the executive pastry chef of Despina’s Cream Bakery, which is based in northern New Jersey, the choice became obvious. It just took some persuasion for her to take on that risk.

Having graduated from Fordham in the late 2000s with a degree in business administration, Kontomanolis originally settled into a corporate career. Due to a macroeconomic downturn, she was grateful to have landed any job, frankly. But it’s safe to say that most people do not go to bed at night dreaming of property and casualty insurance. Maybe some folks dream of commercial real estate but not Kontomanolis.

Kontomanolis’s intellectual curiosity led her to learn more about the real estate, hospitality and restaurant industries because she “knew I wanted to work with and interact with people,” however, “I didn’t know exactly what it was at the time.”

The good news was during this period of experimentation she was picking up what would become an invaluable skillset for a small business owner. Things like developing her management abilities so she could adopt a player/ coach mentality where Kontomanolis could learn a skill and then pass it along to team members. And, by developing a high emotional intelligence quotient (EIQ), she could better manage a staff with a human touch. Most important though was learning to become adaptable. In other words, understanding how to recognize when certain elements in a business are working or are broken, and course correcting on the fly — this would become valuable down the road. Despina & Michael Kontomanolis

The bad news was that, overall, her initial years out of university were dreary. When you’re not fulfilled in your career or pursuing your passions, this is a reality one must confront.

It was during a 2014 trip to Los Angeles to visit her brother that Kontomanolis would start seeing some light at the end of the corporate tunnel. Michael Kontomanolis, the co-founder of Despina’s Cream Bakery, was a fresh college graduate bursting with ambition and enthusiasm. He would prove to be a key ingredient in Kontomanolis’s journey — no pun intended.

As siblings with a close bond, Michael noted that Kontomanolis was unfulfilled with her professional pursuits.

He was the first to point out that she had been baking desserts since she was a 10-year-old girl and that she found joy in creating tangible goods rather than shuffling paper. Even better, Kontomanolis’s cream pies, mousses, cookies and brownies were receiving praise.

Michael suggested it was time to switch gears to obtain fulfillment. Although he’s the younger brother, he brought forth some sagely advice, “If there’s any time to take a risk, now’s the time.” He was right as Kontomanolis’s hard work in the corporate sector had amassed her the capital to take a risky move.

Although Kontomanolis notes people had previously suggested, “‘You should go to into business,’ I took it as a bit of a cliché thing. I never thought about baking as a business or money-making endeavor.”

Two things were explicit before the operation was started: First, Kontomanolis didn’t want to be one dimensional, selling just cupcakes or just cake pops. Second, she wasn’t pleased with the desserts she came across. Quality was a top concern and their business would only use the finest ingredients. For example, her products only use pure Madagascar Vanilla and 100 percent sustainable, whole-bean roasted Belgian chocolate.

From here, Kontomanolis and Michael embarked on a partnership where the roles were clearly defined. Michael would take on the business and marketing components of this venture, and Kontomanolis would take on the baking and creation of artisanal goods.

Out of the gate, the business started out by gaining customers via wordof-mouth marketing. Following a direct-to-consumer (D2C) model, those with a sweet tooth could log onto creambakery.com, place an order and take delivery of the treat of their choosing (e.g., brownies, cheesecakes, cookies, dessert bars, cream pies and custom event cakes).

This eventually progressed into the addition of a wholesale-specific line of products. This marked a significant turning point for the bakery, more specifically in 2016, when an Oradell-based café placed the company’s biggest wholesale order.

“I remember leaving in tears because they wanted everything,” says Kontomanolis. “It was nerve wracking at first because there were so many items to deliver, but it was so rewarding to get that vote of confidence.”

Soon, things went into overdrive. With both the retail and wholesale lines of the business humming, Kontomanolis says, “All of a sudden and all at once we had orders coming in, non-stop. I’ve never worked harder in my life.”

As a bakery in its infancy, these are good problems to have. This, eventually, led to the team’s expansion, which allowed Kontomanolis to return to the kitchen to experiment. Tinkering is what keeps things interesting for Kontomanolis.

For example, after a trip to Colorado with her significant other, Kontomanolis recognized a niche market for beer cookies. By taking spent grains, which would otherwise be trashed, she is able to make homemade, beer-based flour. Through a close relationship with her brewery partners, Kontomanolis taste tests the next generation of beers and can determine the flavor profile for the next batch of cookies. This way the cookies and beer can be paired if one so desires.

In parallel with these advances, Despina’s Cream Bakery expanded into a fully functional eCommerce operation that ships its products nationwide. This proved rather timely due to the global pandemic that put a halt to the events economy in 2020 and 2021.

To adjust to these socially distanced times, Kontomanolis pivoted the bakery’s operations to fully support the shipping of dessert bar gift boxes. At the time of this writing, this remains the focus of the businesses entire efforts. And as the bakery looks to expand its reach, don’t be surprised if you stumble across advertisements on social media or see the latest influencer indulging in one of their treats.

Throughout Kontomanolis’s meandering journey of being a small business owner, there’s been ups and downs, and everything in between. But, there’s a reason why when you Google or Yelp “top bakeries in Bergen County,” you’ll find her and Michael’s business: The pursuit of passion.

Additionally, one thing holds true: This is definitely not “it.”

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