Business Spotlight: How Casey Renee Built Confections in Pittsburgh’s East End

In April 2026, Casey Renee opened the doors to Confections, a new bakery in Regent Square that’s already become part of the neighborhood’s heartbeat. Known for their chocolate chip cookies, fresh muffins, scones, and cupcakes, Confections represents more than just a business, it’s the result of years of excellence, calculated risk, and finding the right financial partner to make a brick-and-mortar dream come true.

We sat down with Casey to talk about her journey from award-winning pastry chef to storefront owner, and what it took to bring her vision to life.

A Pastry Chef with Serious Credentials

Casey Renee’s path to Confections is rooted in excellence. She’s a two-time Outstanding Pastry Chef finalist for the prestigious James Beard Awards, one of the highest honors in the culinary world. Her reputation was built through her work as pastry chef at Whitfield Restaurant at the Ace Hotel, where she created innovative desserts for one of Pittsburgh’s most respected fine dining establishments.

However, Casey’s reach extends beyond the restaurant kitchen. She competed in the third season of Food Network’s Best Baker in America, bringing her skills and passion to a national stage and proving her ability to perform under pressure.

Despite these accolades, Casey wanted something different. In 2019, she left the fine dining world to launch her own venture.

The First Iteration: Starting Small in Wilkinsburg

After departing from Whitfield, Casey opened Confections as a specialty order bakery in Wilkinsburg. It was a chance to build something of her own, to take her pastry expertise and create a small business that reflected her vision.

“I always wanted to start my own business,” Casey explains. 

The Move: Why Location Mattered

By 2025, Casey was ready to expand. She had reached capacity in her Wilkinsburg space and could no longer take on new business. For several years, she had been considering adding a retail storefront, and the timing finally felt right to take that next step. Expanding would not only allow the business to grow, but also create a more sustainable future for herself, her family, and her staff by generating additional revenue. Regent Square felt like the perfect fit, a vibrant, walkable neighborhood with a strong sense of community and an appetite for a local bakery. However, the move required financing, and that’s where Neighborhood Community Development Fund stepped in.

Finding the Right Partner

Casey’s first call was to the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), the organization that had helped her secure her initial loan, but there was a problem: her new location in Regent Square was just across the city line, outside URA’s service area.

“I wanted something that was more in the community,” Casey says. “I’d rather do something that had a lower APR, I didn’t want to go to a big bank or PayPal…Those were going to be my back up plans…”

That’s when the URA connected her with Rich, a loan officer at NCDF.

“I called him and said, ‘Can you help me? This is what I want to do,'” Casey recalls. “Even though I’d done this before, this scale—this type of build-out—was new. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. But that’s part of being an entrepreneur. You’ve got to take the risk and jump in.”

Rich made all the difference. “He was super awesome,” Casey says. “He helped me every step of the way. It was easy once we got in contact. And here we are, not even a year later.”

NCDF Small Business Financing

The NCDF loan covered nearly all of the storefront construction costs, gutting the space and building everything from the ground up.

Community Impact

Within just a couple of months of opening, Confections has become woven into the neighborhood fabric. Casey has already participated in local fundraisers and community events, and the response from residents has been overwhelming.

“Everyone is super happy we’re here,” Casey says. “I’d say 95% of the people who come in tell me they live in the area and were so happy we opened. They needed a bakery.”

But Casey’s impact goes beyond delicious baked goods. She’s created jobs in a neighborhood that needs them. Confections currently employs three full-time and three part-time employees, with additional hires planned busy seasons.

More importantly, Casey is committed to making Confections a place where people love to work. Last year, she added health insurance for her team. Next month, she’s rolling out a 401(k) plan.

“I want my bakery to be a place where people love to be and work,” Casey explains. “That means taking care of the people who take care of my business.”

What’s Next

Casey’s story is a reminder of what’s possible when a business owner has a clear vision, the courage to take risks, and access to the right financing at the right time. With NCDF’s support, she didn’t just open a bakery, she helped revitalize a corner of Pittsburgh’s East End and created sustainable jobs in her community.

Visit Confections at www.confectionspgh.com or stop by on a Saturday morning. You’ll find a neighborhood gathering place, filled with the smell of fresh-baked cookies and the sound of people who are genuinely happy to be there.