Several times a week, UNC Wilmington (UNCW) student Emma Sheeran wakes up at 4 a.m. and heads to a commercial community kitchen in downtown Wilmington.
From there, she spends much of the morning baking various breads and pastries for local coffee shops and retailers in the Cape Fear area.
“I’ve been baking my whole life and I’ve worked as a pastry chef for the past couple of years,” said Sheeran, the owner of Golden Dawn Bakers.
Sheeran has been operating under the name Golden Dawn Bakers since the fall of 2019 when she got the idea to branch off and make her own business.
“I wanted to branch off and do my own thing,” said Sheeran. “Kind of work for myself for a little while and that’s why I thought it would be good to start a business of my own.”
Sheeran said her background as a pastry chef has helped her work on several of her own recipes that she uses now.
“I actually developed all my recipes myself,” said Sheeran. “So I spent the past couple of years while working as a pastry chef developing recipes for Casa Blanca and then I made some recipes skimmed off of that and really built it all myself.”
Currently, Sheeran bakes and delivers to local businesses like Tidal Creek Co-Op, Social Coffee and Casa Blanca Coffee.
“I sent some emails out, and we met in person to talk with people about whether they would be interested in carrying our items and if it was something they would want,” said Sheeran. “Luckily three of them have said yes so far.”
All of Sheeran’s baked goods are organic and vegan, which allows her to cater to a larger customer base.
You can place your order by messaging their Instagram @goldendawnbakers.