From Le Cordon Bleu London to Bites in Red Bank

Bites Baking School began long before there was a Bites storefront in Red Bank.

Its story starts in London, where I trained in patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu London, built and operated my own bakery business, and spent years learning that baking is about far more than producing something that tastes good.

It is about technique, presentation, consistency, creativity, and the experience surrounding the food.

Those lessons eventually followed me back to New Jersey and became part of the foundation for Bites.

I am Michelle Husserl, founder of Bites Baking School. My career has taken me from professional pastry training in London, to building a bakery business there, to creating a very different kind of baking company in Red Bank.

This is the story of how those pieces came together.

Moving to London and Training at Le Cordon Bleu

In my twenties, I made the decision to move to London and study patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu London.

It was a major change personally and professionally.

Professional pastry training introduced me to a much more disciplined way of approaching baking.

Technique mattered.

Precision mattered.

Presentation mattered.

Consistency mattered.

The finished dessert was important, but so was everything required to produce it properly.

That training became the technical foundation of my career.

It also shaped the standards I would later bring into my own businesses.

From Pastry Training to Building a Bakery Business

After my training, I went on to build Baketique, an American-style bakery business in London.

Running a bakery was a completely different education.

Professional training teaches you how to make the product.

Building a business teaches you everything surrounding it.

I had to think about:

• product development
• presentation
• consistency
• customer experience
• branding
• merchandising
• operations
• creating products people actually wanted to buy
• maintaining standards as the business grew

Baketique expanded beyond a single small bakery concept and included locations and concessions, including a presence at Harvey Nichols.

That experience gave me years of practical exposure to both the creative and commercial sides of the baking industry.

I was not simply working as a pastry chef.

I was learning how to turn baking into a brand.

What London Taught Me About Presentation

One of the strongest influences London had on me was the importance placed on presentation.

A dessert can be technically excellent, but the way it is displayed, packaged, served, and experienced changes how people perceive it.

That does not mean everything needs to feel formal.

It means details matter.

Color matters.

Proportion matters.

Packaging matters.

The room matters.

How someone feels when they receive something matters.

That attention to detail stayed with me when I eventually created Bites.

It is one of the reasons I have always wanted Bites to feel visually considered while still being approachable and fun.

Children should be able to create freely.

Adults should feel comfortable.

Desserts should still look exciting.

And the environment should feel like somewhere people actually want to spend time.

Returning to New Jersey

After years in London, my life eventually brought me back to New Jersey.

By then, I had professional pastry training, years of bakery ownership experience, and a completely different perspective on what I wanted to build next.

I was also a mother.

That changed the direction significantly.

My previous bakery experience had been primarily about producing and selling baked goods.

With Bites, I became interested in what happened when people were invited into the creative process themselves.

Instead of only buying the finished dessert, what if children and families could participate?

What if baking and decorating became the experience?

That question became central to Bites.

Why I Created Bites Baking School

Bites developed at the intersection of several parts of my life:

Professional pastry training

I wanted the business to be grounded in real baking knowledge rather than simply themed entertainment.

Bakery ownership

I already understood product development, presentation, branding, and the operational realities of running a food business.

Creativity

I have always been drawn to the visual side of pastry and the freedom people have when decorating and designing food.

Teaching

Bites gave me a way to share baking in a format where people could participate rather than simply purchase the finished product.

Motherhood

Having my own child changed the way I thought about children's experiences and how families spend their time together.

Those influences eventually became Bites Baking School.

Why Red Bank Became Home

Bites is based in Red Bank, New Jersey, in Monmouth County.

For me, Red Bank provided a setting where a baking school, bake shop, classes, events, and collaborations could exist within the same business.

Today, Bites serves children, families, adults, private groups, and organizations through a changing mix of baking and dessert-focused experiences.

The business has evolved, but the connection between professional pastry and participation has remained consistent.

From Selling Desserts to Teaching People to Create Them

There is an important difference between my previous bakery business and Bites.

At a traditional bakery, the customer usually sees the end of the process.

The pastry chef does the work behind the scenes.

The customer receives the finished product.

At Bites, the process itself can become part of what people come for.

Depending on the particular class or event, participants may:

• bake
• decorate
• assemble
• work with frosting
• learn a technique
• make design choices
• create a finished dessert project

That shift from buying the finished result to participating in the process is one of the biggest differences between the two chapters of my career.

I still care about the finished product.

But I also care about helping people experience how it is created.

Professional Baking Without Making It Intimidating

Formal pastry training can be extremely technical.

That is appropriate in a professional environment.

It is not always appropriate for someone attending a recreational baking class for the first time.

One of the challenges I enjoy is deciding what professional knowledge is useful for a particular audience and how to make it approachable.

That might mean simplifying a technique.

It might mean focusing on decorating rather than technical pastry theory.

It might mean allowing more creative freedom.

It might mean designing an experience where a beginner can participate without needing previous baking knowledge.

Professional expertise should make an experience clearer and better structured.

It should not make someone feel as though they need to be a pastry chef before walking through the door.

How My Background Shapes Bites Today

My professional background influences Bites in several ways.

Baking knowledge

Le Cordon Bleu provided the technical foundation behind my work.

Product and dessert development

Years in the bakery industry taught me how to think about desserts as products, not simply recipes.

Presentation

My London bakery experience reinforced the importance of how food and experiences are presented.

Business operations

Owning a bakery taught me that creativity has to work alongside logistics, consistency, and execution.

Teaching

Bites requires translating professional knowledge into experiences for people with very different levels of experience.

Creative direction

From desserts to events and collaborations, the visual side of the business remains an important part of how I work.

These are connected parts of the same career rather than separate ventures.

What Bites Offers Today

Bites has grown beyond a single type of baking class.

Current and recurring areas of the business include:

• children's baking and decorating classes
• parent-and-child experiences
• birthday parties
• private events
• adult events
• corporate and partner experiences
• seasonal events
• baked goods
• educational baking content

Individual events and offerings change, so current availability should always be checked directly through Bites rather than relying on an older article.

Why My Founder Story Matters to the Bites Brand

There is an enormous amount of children's activity and food content online.

A professional background helps explain where Bites comes from.

Bites was not created by starting with a children's entertainment concept and then adding baking to it.

My path went in the opposite direction.

It started with professional pastry.

Then bakery ownership.

Then years of experience building a food business.

Then motherhood.

Then teaching.

Bites grew out of those experiences.

That history is relevant because it explains why the company sits somewhere between a baking school, a bake shop, an events business, and a creative food brand.

Building Bites as Both a Local and Educational Brand

Bites is rooted in Red Bank, but the knowledge behind it is not limited to physical classes.

Baking education can extend beyond the classroom.

That creates opportunities for me to share more of what I have learned through:

• educational articles
• baking guidance
• technique-focused content
• online learning
• future course material
• professional and business insights from my own career

The format may change, but the underlying expertise remains connected to the same professional background.

That is an important next chapter for Bites and for my work as a pastry chef and educator.

The Difference Between Expertise and Guarantees

There is also something I believe is important to say clearly.

Baking businesses often make very broad claims about what an activity will do for a child.

It is easy to say that baking automatically builds confidence, improves emotional regulation, creates stronger memories, or produces particular developmental outcomes.

Those claims go beyond what I think a business should promise.

What I can speak to directly is the experience we create and the activities participants actually perform.

Children may:

• follow instructions
• make choices
• work with ingredients
• decorate
• practice techniques
• complete projects
• create something they can take home

Some children may feel proud of what they create.

Some may discover that they love baking.

Others may simply enjoy spending an afternoon decorating.

All of those are worthwhile without needing to promise a psychological transformation.

My professional responsibility is to create a well-considered baking experience.

Each participant brings their own personality and response to it.

What I Have Carried From London to Red Bank

My businesses in London and New Jersey are different.

But there is a clear line connecting them.

From Le Cordon Bleu, I carried forward technical discipline.

From Baketique, I carried forward the realities of entrepreneurship and the importance of presentation.

From London, I carried forward a high standard for food and brand experience.

From motherhood, I gained a new perspective on the kinds of experiences I wanted to create.

Bites brought those influences together.

FAQ About Michelle Husserl and Bites

Who is Michelle Husserl?

Michelle Husserl is the founder of Bites Baking School in Red Bank, New Jersey. She trained in patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu London and previously built and operated the London bakery business Baketique.

Did Michelle Husserl own a bakery in London?

Yes. Michelle founded and grew Baketique, an American-style bakery business in London, with locations and concessions that included Harvey Nichols.

Where did Michelle Husserl train?

Michelle trained in patisserie at Le Cordon Bleu London.

What is Bites Baking School?

Bites is a Red Bank baking school and bake shop offering a changing selection of baking and dessert-decorating classes, events, birthday parties, private experiences, and baked goods.

Is Bites only for children?

No. Bites works with children, families, adults, private groups, corporate groups, and other event audiences depending on the individual offering.

Does Michelle still work as a pastry chef?

Michelle's pastry background continues to shape Bites through class development, desserts, events, creative direction, and baking education.

Why did Michelle create Bites?

Bites developed from Michelle's professional pastry training, bakery ownership experience, interest in teaching and creative food experiences, and later perspective as a mother.

Is Michelle creating online baking education?

Online baking and educational content are part of the broader direction of Michelle's work, alongside Bites' in-person experiences.

Explore Bites

Learn more about Michelle and the story behind Bites, browse upcoming baking classes and events, or shop the Bites Bake Shop. For help choosing family-friendly desserts and experiences, read our Monmouth County bakery guide.

From Le Cordon Bleu London to Bites

My career has changed considerably since I first moved to London.

I have been a pastry student.

A bakery founder.

A business owner.

A product developer.

A mother.

A teacher.

And now the founder of Bites.

Each stage changed the next one.

Bites would not exist in its current form without Le Cordon Bleu.

It would not exist in its current form without Baketique.

And it certainly would not exist in its current form without the years between London and Red Bank that changed what I wanted my next business to become.

Bites is the continuation of that story.

Different city.

Different format.

Same belief that baking deserves knowledge, creativity, care, and attention to detail.