By EMILY SPARACINO / Staff Writer

CHELSEA – A new bakery in Chelsea opened its doors this month.

Tee’s Cakes and Pastries, owned and operated by local couple Eddie and Theresa Herrod, opened Dec. 18 in Benson Plaza on Chelsea Corners Way.

“We’ve had a great turnout today,” Eddie Herrod said on the afternoon of Dec. 18, a few hours before the bakery wrapped up its first day of business. “People (have been) coming in all day saying they’re happy to have a bakery in Chelsea.”

Tee’s Cakes and Pastries offers a variety of cakes, including strawberry, lemon, German chocolate, red velvet, peanut butter and coconut, along with pastries, cookies, cupcakes, scones, chocolate-dipped strawberries, brownie pops and other confections.

“We’ll do a different cake of the day,” Eddie said, noting customers can buy single slices of the featured cake.

The bakery derives its name from Theresa – the primary producer of the shop’s treats – whose nickname has been “Tee” ever since she and Eddie married, he said.

Theresa makes her cakes and pastries from scratch.

“We do everything right here,” Eddie said. “When you come in here, you can smell it.”

She has honed her baking skills for nearly 25 years.

The couple owned and operated Herrod’s Bakery in Birmingham for about five years until it closed in 2005. They continued catering events and waited to see if God had more plans for them in the bakery business.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Eddie said of Tee’s Cakes and Pastries. “It’s been a long journey.”

As with their former Birmingham bakery, the Herrods offer catering for weddings, parties and other events.

The couple hopes to expand offerings at the bakery in the future to include coffee, sandwiches and ice cream, Eddie said.

The couple’s daughters, Alexia, Tara and Ebonie, help out at the bakery, along with their nephew Leo and granddaughter Camille.

“We just really go hard at it,” he said. “We are a very entrepreneurial family. We’re just here to help each other.”

Tee’s Cakes and Pastries is located at 100 Chelsea Corners Way, Suite 109, a convenient spot for customers who don’t want a long commute.

Hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday–Friday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.

For more information, call 678-8049 or search “Teescakesandpastries” on Facebook and Instagram.