OUR MISSION
Sweet P Bakery is a nonprofit bakery with a mission of offering training and employment for adults with disabilities. We provide opportunities for personal growth, a source of income, and wonderful friendships.
SWEET P BAKERY FOUNDERS ARE MAKING IT POSSIBLE
It all started when the 3 children of Bill and Andrea Pecoriello of Westport, CT volunteered to be a part of one very special little boy’s life. Bill and Andrea saw the lack of options available when children with special needs would enter adulthood. They had a vision of someday opening a bakery that provided the opportunity to train and employ adults with special needs that aged out of other programs.
MEET OUR TEAM
Bill and Andrea
Founders
Bill and Andrea, along with their family, are longtime Westport, CT residents and have always been active in their community. They have instilled in their children the importance of giving back and living a life with purpose. Through their children’s volunteering experiences and talking with the parents of children with disabilities, Bill and Andrea realized how support services stopped when these children became young adults. They wanted to create a place where these young adults could learn employable skills, have fun socializing with their peers, and feel the ultimate sense of purpose by having a meaningful job in their community. Bill and Andrea envisioned a place that the entire community could embrace and support and Sweet P Bakery was born.
Terri Cahn
Head Pastry Chef
Eat dessert first is Terri’s philosophy. With her love of food, cooking and a passion for baking, she brings all the ingredients for a recipe for success. Terri is a classically trained pastry chef, earning her degree at Florida Culinary Institute. Her love of baking led to the launches of two successful companies, Courageous Cookies and a dessert catering company, Terri’s Treats. Terri worked for the nationally syndicated Mr. Food television news segment, testing and developing recipes as well as worked for an upscale specialty bakeshop, Passion for Pastry. She is excited to share her knowledge and love of baking with everyone who comes into the kitchen!
Renee Lalanne
Pastry Chef
Renee earned her degree in Baking and Pastry at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, CA. Her career path allowed her to gain the full culinary experience in both cooking and baking. She found her love of cooking while making pasta with her grandmother in Argentina and is excited to now be a part of our team where everyone who enjoys baking can be included.
Betsy Weismann
Marketing Director
Betsy believes in combining big picture thinking with a ‘roll up your sleeves’ attitude to drive results. With a career chronicled in marketing, client service and event/project management, she focuses on strategic planning and tactical pursuits that will lead to successful new product introductions, recognizable branding and positioning. Betsy’s passion is to take an idea, inject some of her own style, and work with her team to bring it to fruition. This passion led to the successful launch of betsybaloo and the very first to market static cling glass wine glass marker.
BOARD MEMBERS
Marjorie Jacobson
Marjorie (Margie) is a special education attorney representing families of students with disabilities, helping them obtain the best education and futures for their children. She also represents young adults and families in conservatorship and guardianship matters before the probate courts She is a member of COPAA, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, a board member and co-chair of the REACH committee of the Westport Country Playhouse, and serves on the regional Connecticut board and national commission of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Margie earned an undergraduate degree in English from Brandeis University and a JD from Boston University School of Law. She is the mother of three daughters (including a daughter who baked with Sweet P Bakery!), a longtime Westport resident … and huge fan of Sweet P Bakery’s colossal cookies!
Stacie Curran
Stacie has lived and worked in Westport, CT over 50 yrs. Westport is where Stacie has raised her 4 children and is home to her family business of over 40 years and her late husband’s family business, also in excess of 40 years. Stacie has given back to the community and beyond by serving on the following boards, past and present:
A Child’s Place School, Westport’s Special Education,
MOCA, Westport Public Schools,
Health & Wellness Committee ,
The Commission on People with Disabilities
Remarkable Theater – Founder and Club203-Founder