BUFFALO, N.Y. — Katie Blyashuk's new bakery is full of sweets and baked goods. Walk through the door, and you'll see cupcakes, brownies and baklava on a small counter next to the cash register.

What You Need To Know

  • Katie Blyashuk opened "Cakes By Katya," a new bakery in Lovejoy, in April
  • Blyashuk and her family left the Soviet Union and came to America as refugees for religious freedom
  • Blyashuk previously worked at Dessert Deli and Muscoreil's Fine Desserts before opening her own bakery
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Look to the right, and you'll see a ton of cakes — some of them are visually striking and ornate, while others are more classic and understated.

"I like them," says the owner of "Cakes By Katya,” Lovejoy's new bakery. "They’re fun. You design them. They’re beautiful. They make a statement. The bigger they are, the more of a wow factor you get."

Blyashuk spent the last 10 years working in the food service industry, but only thought about opening her own place two years ago. She accelerated her timeline after a chance encounter at a restaurant supply store. Blyashuk says a man noticed baking ingredients in her cart, and asked if she was a baker. After she said yes, the man replied that he was vacating the space where "Cakes By Katya" currently sits, and that she could sign a lease in October.

"I prayed about it, you know?” she said. “Because I wanted to open something up. I was planning on looking this year for places, and this popped up."

After five months of preparation, Blyashuk transformed the space from a barbecue restaurant into her brand new bakery. Working hard is nothing new for Blyashuk or her family: when she was 4 years old, her family left the Soviet Union and joined the United States as refugees for religious freedom. 

"When we got here, we were on welfare for a little while until we picked up, got on our feet," she says. "We were poor. It took a lot of money. There were seven of us, seven kids. Bringing seven people over is not cheap. Neither is the legal process."

She spoke Russian at home and perfected her English at school. Blyashuk’s dreams came into focus as a teenager.

"My mom got me a Martha Stewart cook book when I was 13," she says. "I started making recipes out of it. I have all of hers. I have her tarts, her cakes, her pies, the cupcake one."

She’s sold a lot of sweets and cakes in her first month of business. Her family has been a big support, and a big success in their own right.

"Some of my brothers and sisters are business owners, including me,” she said. “They started on their own. We didn’t win the lottery. We didn’t come from a wealthy family. So we are living the American dream."

Blyashuk appreciates her parents coming here, and giving her an opportunity she might not have gotten had her family stayed in Belarus.

"Their economy over there wasn’t great for a long time. It’s not great now, either," she says. "My parents, they always tell us, ‘you have it so good here. You would not have been able to do this over there.’ And they’re right; when you’re a kid, you don’t listen. But now, you kind of get it."

If you want a taste of the American dream, just head over to "Cakes by Katya" at 1132 E. Lovejoy Street.