Eduardo and Ligia Banks, the Brazilian-Italian couple who own the Splendid Bakes bakery in Woodstock Village, are saying goodbye to 4 The Green, their home for the past three years.
In an interview with the Standard, Eduardo Banks said, “Our original plan was to open our bake shop at the Train Station Depot on the Alsup’s property.” He added, “The conversation started in the summer of 2019, and the idea was to have the shop ready to go for the summer of 2020. Unfortunately, the COVID pandemic changed everything. My wife and I decided to move full-time to Woodstock towards the end of November 2021. Finding another location to start the business wasn’t an easy process. We met [property owner] Eva Douzinas through our landlord, Jon Spector; that’s how we ended up here at 4 The Green.”
Banks said there was a natural learning curve when it came to starting their business, especially in a historic building that did not come equipped with a culinary kitchen. He continued, “We faced a lot of challenges in the beginning. There had never been a retail store in that space before, and subsequently, the space was not known as a place to come and get pastries, coffee, sandwiches, etc. One of the biggest challenges was to let people know where we were located. We needed to meet with the Planning Commission at the Town Hall to explain how hard it was not to have more signs on the sidewalk to show the way for people. Constantly, there were locals who’d walk in and say that they never saw us before, even after three years of operation.”
In spite of the location and signage issues, Banks maintained that one challenge outweighed all the rest. “Ligia, my wife, is the only baker. She has no helper. She bakes from our home kitchen, which is fully inspected and licensed. As a mom and baker, her challenges were always bigger than anything else we faced. We made over 18,000 cupcakes, hundreds of cakes and pies, and dozens of savory items that came out of our home kitchen in the last three years. My wife is unbelievable and a true inspiration for our family.”
When asked what’s in store next for the Splendid Bakes couple, Banks said, “We are not sure yet. We will continue living in town and, as of now, have no plans of leaving. Our patrons can still place orders with us. We just won’t have the storefront for now, but everyone can order anytime with us through email at edbanks@splendidbakesbybanks.com.”
For more on this, please see our Dec. 31 edition of the Vermont Standard.
