Bakery Blossoms in Dogpatch

Butter& offers cakes that feature modern designs and unique flavors. Located on Indiana Street, next to Esprit Park, the bakery’s storefront is characterized by a sleek, minimal aesthetic that reflects the style of its confections. 

Founder Amanda Nguyen initially intended to serve ad-hoc functions or one-off requests. 

“It all started when my sister wanted to throw a party for my newborn nephew for the first time. The party was in a couple weeks, and I had never bought a cake before, so I reached out to a few local bakeries. What I found was that it was already too late; everyone was booked up! So, I decided to take it on myself,” said Nguyen. “I’d been baking for years and years; macarons, pies, cinnamon rolls, croissants, sourdough bread. But I’d never touched cake before, so I jumped in and got something done just in time for my nephew’s party. After that, I was hooked; I just loved how cake making brought together baking and art.” 

As Nguyen honed her craft, she shared her creations on Instagram under the handle “Mandamakes” in 2016, which amplified her work to future clients.

“I was working in tech at the time, and my coworkers found my account and started asking me to make things for them. Then they started actually paying me to make things. Then their friends started contacting me, and before long I didn’t even recognize the names of folks who were ordering from me!” said Nguyen.

As Mandamakes gained momentum, Nguyen made cakes at night and went to work in the morning. She pulled all-nighters to get through cake orders.

“It was more than I could handle,” Nguyen said, as she started to conceptualize a new business, with the right name. “I didn’t want it to be about me; Mandamakes didn’t make sense anymore. I came up with a few names; one inspired by the patron saint of dairy, another inspired by the state-themed streets of Dogpatch where we started in my apartment.” 

Nguyen’s husband and Butter& co-founder, Ted Moran, her boyfriend at the time, landed on the appellation Butter& after receiving advice from Facebook friends.

“I just made a poll and asked people which one to choose. It’s a little ridiculous in hindsight, ha-ha. The people chose Butter&! I liked that it was still open-ended… ‘Butter&’ what? It could be anything,” said Nguyen. “Leaving things open-ended is important for me creatively.”

Like most small businesses, the shop had to find ways to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly going bankrupt as wedding and birthday celebrations disappeared. With only a few weeks of cash left, Nguyen and Moran had a realization.

“People are still celebrating at home, but it’s just one or two people now. We came up with a tiny little cake, called it a ‘Quarantine Cake,’ and put snippets of CDC advice on it like ‘wash your hands’ or ‘don’t touch your face,’ said Nguyen. 

Media outlets like People Magazine, The Kelly Clarkson Show and USA Today highlighted Butter&’s creativity. The business experienced a surge of demand.  

“It was insane! We had 100 orders due per day, but we only had 20 cake pans; so, we had to bake around the clock to fulfill all of the orders. We grew a lot during that period, it’s kind of a blur,” she said. 

According to Nguyen, what makes Butter&’s cakes special is its Greek yogurt-based buttercream, which creates an ultra-creamy but still lightweight texture. Strawberries & Cream is popular. She’s excited to make the limited-edition Black Sesame & Red Bean flavor a permanent offer; it sells out annually during Lunar New Year. 

“I’ve decided that people should be able to have it year-round,” said Nguyen. “As I started to explore the cake world, the aesthetic I saw at the time was either over-the-top detailed or very traditional. I didn’t personally gravitate to those styles at the time. The architecture and interior design I enjoyed the most balanced form and function together, and I appreciated that. Why should cakes be any different? I still think that the most important thing about design is knowing when to stop.” 

Nguyen also wants her company to support quality jobs. Many food industry workers are hired as contractors. They can be let go at a moment’s notice while the company avoids paying healthcare, according to Nguyen. Butter& employees are paid above-market wages and provided with health care, company ownership, and weekly one-on-one meetings to help employees achieve their personal and professional goals.

“Ethical employment is part of our mission,” she said. “I love how easy we make it to celebrate life at Butter&. Whether it’s a wedding, a birthday, or just a little dinner party, I’m so proud that you can get something really special and you don’t have to plan months in advance. I think that’s something people need everywhere, so Ted and I are planning to expand to more locations over the coming years. We’ll start with the Bay Area and then see how we feel.”