Sage Cakery

With a strong entrepreneurial spirit, Nikkie Byrd turned her 20-year hobby of baking and cake decorating into a thriving Urbana-based business.

Sage Cakery opened in May 2019 and offers sweet confections daily. Bestsellers include vegan chocolate chip cookies as well as macarons with unique flavors such as salted caramel and lemon elderflower. Blackberry sage, orange ginger, vanilla, chocolate, red velvet and lemon are cupcake fan favorites.

The bakery specializes in creating custom cakes for events including weddings and birthdays. Staff includes a two-time “Chopped” winner, a “Cake Hunters” winner, award-winning cake decorators and many culinary school graduates.

Through creativity and communication, the team aims to deliver an overall final product that captures the spirit of the event, and what the client has envisioned.

“We really are super honored to be able to be a part of someone’s special occassion,” Byrd says. “...It means a lot to us that someone has the faith and trust in us to be able to bring the vision of their day to life with dessert.”

The bakery asks for a minimum of two weeks’ notice for predesign cake orders and two-four weeks for custom cakes.

Before opening the business, Byrd attended Green Comfort School for Herbal Medicine and so she picked the name for her bakery as a way to combine her two worlds. Sage is an herb that is known for its good energy, strength and cleansing abilities. The educational experience helped to influence her baking, including creating unique flavors, using quality products, and sourcing organic and locally when possible.

“I think it is really important for us to support one another in our local economy,” she says.

Before a cake is presented at a wedding or a macaron placed inside a display case, Byrd said the team makes sure the dessert holds up to the bakery’s high standards in both taste and aesthetics.

You can find Sage Cakery products at the Urbana storefront, or cake pops, cookies and dessert bars may also be purchased at The Common Market, Dublin Roasters, and the North Market Street Pop Shop.