Downtown Hayward just became a whole lot sweeter with the grand opening of the Butter Pecan Bakeshop, offering “buttery, delicious handmade cookies that taste like your grandma made ‘em!” This marks the sixth location for the “Southern-inspired” bakery and the first franchised shop.
Founder and CEO Wendell Hunter was on hand for the official ribbon cutting ceremony, held on Feb. 25. Also present were new owners Mary and Vu Chau, along with a huge line of hungry and loyal fans. Free cookies were promised to the first 100 customers.
The event was hosted by Nicole Roa of the Hayward Chamber of Commerce. State Senator Dr. Aisha Wahab, Assemblymember Liz Ortega and Congressman Eric Swalwell all sent representatives to present certificates of recognition to Hunter. Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas and Councilmember Julie Roche also made appearances.
In his opening speech, Hunter thanked the Hayward community for their warm welcome. “When you show up, when you contribute, you bring something to the party. For us, we wanted to bring the best cookies in the Bay to you guys!”
Born during the pandemic, Butter Pecan Bakeshop was Hunter’s way of giving back to a community that had shown him nothing but love. Out of work and looking for a way to provide for his family, he came up with the idea of turning his grandma’s “nut cake” into a cookie.
“I wanted to put that flavor into a more shareable form, so I could package and ship it to family to let them know I was thinking about them,” he said.
David Newman
David Newman
It didn’t hurt that Hunter grew up in a baking household. His love of eating and discerning palette quickly earned him a spot as official taster in the kitchen. After a lot of experimentation, the Butter Pecan cookie was born. “I’m a fan of that cookie texture, you know?” he said. “Crunchy on the edges, soft and chewy on the inside. I mean, I could talk all day about cookies.”
Hunter’s nephew, Demiere, was there front and center at the Hayward grand opening. He reflected on Hunter’s success; “I remember when it all first started, during the development stage when I got to taste test his cookies. I knew he was onto something, and before I knew it there were so many different flavors, and each one was a 10 out of 10. I don’t even eat sweets. He really changed the trajectory of my whole diet.”
After his initial success, Hunter realized he could create a whole line of cookies inspired by his favorite desserts, like banana pudding and “Sock It To Me” cake (a Southern-style bundt cake with cinnamon, brown sugar and pecans). He credits his business savvy to his dad’s perfectionist tendencies. “Everything’s gotta be tight.”
Hunter’s family values and love of community led him to opening his first cookie shop in his neighborhood in Pinole. Others soon followed: Emeryville, Pleasant Hill, Fairfield and Vallejo. Hayward is special as it becomes the first franchise location, a turning point for the company.
“Running five shops is about all that I can handle on my own. So it was important for me to find a great family that I can empower and trust and align with to bring our vision to a new community.”
Mary and Vu Chau have been big fans of Butter Pecan Bakeshop for a while now. Every week they would pass the Emeryville location when bringing their kids to school, and every week they would find themselves enjoying delicious cookies as a family. When the opportunity came to run a Butter Pecan Bakeshop franchise, it just made sense.
“It was just the right people and the right product at the right time,” says Vu, who shares an entrepreneurial spirit with his wife. They brought their kids to the Emeryville location during the holidays and announced that they would be getting a cookie shop for Christmas. “They were very excited,” he said.
At the ribbon cutting, some folks traveled from as far as San Francisco and Sacramento for the event. Mary was beaming. “I can feel the love,” she said.
Butter Pecan Bakeshop
Open daily Noon – 5pm
22656 Mission Blvd., Hayward
510.274.5035
