Meet the minds behind the cakes.
Hey there! We're Laura and Sean, the brains (and bakers) behind Knees Up Cakery. We met in London and now live in San Francisco, CA.
Laura, originally from Colombia, caught the baking bug while pursuing a successful career in finance and marketing. She trained at Le Cordon Bleu in London and went on to work at some of the UK’s top pastry kitchens including The Connaught Hotel and Harrods. She was also a contestant in The Great British Baking Show: The Professionals in 2020, as part of a 2 person Hurlingham Club team, where she reached the semi-final (and was fan favorite!). She moved to San Francisco in January 2023 and worked for a year as a pastry chef at Benu.
As for Sean, London born and raised, he started his professional career working in advertising and after moving to SF in 2019, he has also been working in the hospitality industry for quite a while now. His most recent gig was at the mothership of Harmonic Brewing in the Dogpatch, where he worked for the past 4 years. Fun fact: baking runs in his blood! His grandad was an amazing baker back in London, and Sean practically grew up on his mouth watering cakes and mince pies.
We've always shared the dream of owning our own business, so we pooled our ideas and figured out our passions and motivations. We knew we wanted to carry on working in the hospitality industry. Also, we absolutely thrive on bringing people together, whether it's to celebrate milestones, events, or simply to enjoy the company of loved ones. Recognizing an opportunity to combine our talents, we set out to introduce something fresh and exciting to SF.
And thus, Knees Up Cakery was born! The British phrase "Knees Up" describes the spirit of lively and informal gatherings where people come together for music, dancing, and pure enjoyment. We wanted to inject this vibrant energy into the city with our fun and colorful cakes that not only look fantastic but taste absolutely delicious.
We have decided to initially start our venture as an online business but our dream is to find our brick and mortar and hopefully, host cake decorating classes and more in the future. We are on the hunt for our forever home. Stay tuned and follow our journey. We can’t wait to share our milestones with you!