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Name: The Dessert Plate

Type of business: A small bakery and coffee shop

Address: 34 East Main Street, Somerville

Telephone: (908) 722-9881

Web site: www.thedessertplate.com

Hours: Tuesday-Friday 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday and Saturday 8a.m.-1 p.m. closed Mondays and last Sunday of month.

Number of employees: 2

Founded: 2001

Top officers: Megyn Craine, owner and baker

How would you describe your business?

"We are a small bakery or pastry shop because we do mostly desserts -- that's why we are called The Dessert Plate," said Megyn Craine, owner and baker.

"We bake cakes from scratch using no mixes, only wholesome ingredients -- milk, butter, eggs, cram flour, and fresh fruit. Our round cakes are four layers of cake and three layers of filling including custard, whipped cream, fresh blueberries, fresh raspberries, bananas, strawberry lemon curd, peanut butter mousse, butter cream, chocolate butter cream, and chocolate mousse. We offer specialty cakes, tarts, a chocolate flourless cake, hazelnut torte, classic cheesecake, scones, muffins, coffee cake, puff pastry cookies, assorted cupcakes.

"We also offer specialty cakes for small weddings and custom favors for engagement or baby showers or any special occasion. We also have special items for holidays. For instance, we offer a Valentine's Day box with romantic cookies and an anti-Valentine's Day box with brokenhearted cookies.

"We also serve premium organic coffee -- house blend, French roast, and decaf, and brew it fresh all day. "We don't bake bread, but on Friday and Saturday we offer a Ciabatta loaf from Ecce Panis baked on our premises."

What makes your business special?

"We make all our cakes, cookies, tortes, tarts, muffins, and scones from scratch with real ingredients -- the old fashioned way. It's a lot more labor, but then there is a lot more love. We bake everyday here and everything is fresh.

"We also encourage local artists to display their work on our walls."

What goals do you have for the business?

"Our goal is to create special food memories for people by making really good tasting and consistent desserts so that people enjoy what we have and come back. We have had wonderful responses from our customers who will tell us they have never had cake with a real butter cream icing and are amazed by the flavor. We are proud to be a neighborhood bakery -- there aren't many like that anymore where parents can bring their children to enjoy treats that parents experienced when they were young and visited their neighborhood bakery."

How has your business changed?

"I've really tried to keep the business consistent. I really want to keep it with the same focus. I started with the concept of making simple desserts, like grandma made. But recently, I've been doing a lot of fancy decorating. That is probably the biggest change. I enjoy doing the simple things, but a lot of people have come in asking for custom decorating and that's become a newer focus in the last few years. Customers will come in with invitations, ideas sketched on napkins to plan for a special occasion cake or cookies. I have a fine arts degree, and I invite the challenge."

What was your most important deal?

"My most important deal was being able to find a space on this street. It's a wonderful location right across the street from the courthouse. Before I came, this space was a bail bonds office. I actually made the bakery from scratch (putting in the kitchen and counter) as well as making the desserts from scratch as I do now.

"Being in this location on Main Street, because there is so much foot traffic, people from out of town can find us. I live in town and I wanted to have a business in the same town in which I live. We have hosted the Little League teams and at the end of the day when we have leftovers, we donate them to a Somerset Youth Shelter -- Brahma House for displaced children's shelter."

What changes do you expect in your business in the next 10 years?

"If in 10 years it's as great as it's doing now, I'd be happy. I don't really want to change what my customers have come to love. I would like to maintain the consistency and keep everyone happy."

What is the most important thing you've learned in your business?

"I've learned to let go. I used to want to do everything myself. I have great employees and now I hand over more responsibilities to them and I see the business getting better. So that's one of the most important things I've learned."

What advice would you give to someone considering your line of work?

"My advice is to work in the field and get hands-on baking maybe as an apprentice, but hands-on is always the best way to learn. People think they should go to culinary school, but I didn't do that. I went the old-fashioned way and apprenticed under people. There is nothing wrong with culinary school but by working hands on it is somehow ingrained in you."

Is there anything else you would rather be doing?

"I have a lot of different interests -- writing, art, photography -- but I always wanted to work for myself and be my own boss, so I'm doing exactly what I want to be doing -- baking desserts."