Miami Baker Turns Autism Diagnosis Into Her Superpower

When Miami native Kathryn Saks started her home bakery in 2010, she knew there was something special about her. From a very young age, she had a passion for baking and a natural talent for decorating beautiful cakes, cheesecakes, and cupcakes, but growing up wasn't always easy.

Classified as having a learning disability, she was placed in special education classes throughout grade school and high school. But despite the challenges, there was always something she knew she loved, and that was baking. When she came home from school, she'd rush to turn on the Food Network to watch Paula Deen, her favorite celebrity chef, and soak up all the inspiration she possibly could.

She soon began experimenting with cakes of all kinds in her family's kitchen. "When I was a kid, I was very creative," she tells New Times. "I was always baking, drawing, and I was very into art."

When she graduated high school, she resolved to open a bakery of her own. Although this career progression may seem ordinary, for her, it was only the first step in an inspiring process that would take a significant turn a decade later when a diagnosis imbued her life and her business with deeper meaning, one that might inspire the lives of many others in her own community.

One of Miami's First Home Bakers on Yelp

Saks' journey to entrepreneurship began in 2009 when she graduated from South Miami Senior High School. "I started thinking, 'What am I going to do?' Then I suddenly started getting all of these letters in the mail about culinary school, and I go, 'I didn't sign up for this?' But I guess my sisters signed me up," she says with a laugh, adding that she feels blessed to have grown up with an incredibly supportive group of women around her: her mother, America Blanca, and her two sisters, Kelly (a Miami-based fashion blogger) and Kristen.

She promptly enrolled in a culinary arts program at Miami-Dade Public Schools' Robert Morgan Educational Center & Technical College near Zoo Miami and took every Wilton cake decorating class offered at Michaels craft store. Although the work was challenging at first, Saks practiced diligently until she felt prepared to open her own bakery.

In 2010, with help from Kristen, who created a website for her, she launched Kathy's Kakery out of her mother's Cutler Bay kitchen. At the time, she was one of the very first to use Yelp to advertise her small business. "I was like the only home baker on Yelp — and one of the only home bakers in Miami," she says. "Now everyone does it, so it's hard to get business now."

Her first desserts were fondant cakes — despite having zero knowledge of how to do fondant. "My first fondant cake was my sister's 21st birthday cake. I covered it myself," she recounts. "My mom goes, 'Your cake is burning! Take it out!' but it turned out cute.'" She soon added delicious cheesecakes, cupcakes, and other desserts to her repertoire, baking custom orders for family members, friends, and, as word got around, other customers.

A New Diagnosis Spurs Inspiration to Defy the Odds

In November 2022, a dozen years after starting her business from scratch, Saks' therapist recommended to one of her sisters that she look into getting a proper diagnosis of her learning disability, suspecting that Kathryn might fall on the autism spectrum.

Sure enough, her therapist was right. "I just found out two years ago, so it's all new to me still," Saks says. "I found when I was 31, about to turn 32. I had no clue. I mean, when I was little, I had learning disabilities, and I was in special classes, but I had no clue."

Because Saks had never knowingly interacted with classmates on the autism spectrum, she'd grown up believing her challenges stemmed from a learning disability. "Some people are like, 'Oh, I used to hang out with people who are autistic, and I feel like I'm just like them.' I had never hung out with anyone with autism. At South Miami Senior High, there was a kid who had Asperger's. He was super-smart, but I never hung out with him. I never hung out with anybody who had what I had. I always assumed I had a learning disability — that's what I thought I had."

Now, she's using her bakery and the platform it provides to spread awareness about entrepreneurship for people on the autism spectrum.

This is What Autism Can Look Like

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an umbrella term that can include challenges with social interactions, communication, sensory processing, and other complications. It's a lifelong disability and presents itself in myriad forms, from extremely high-functioning (formerly labeled Asperger's) to extremely low-functioning. Saks is on the high-functioning end of the spectrum.

She's showing the world what autism can look like: You can be a CEO, an entrepreneur, and your own boss. You can put yourself out there, run your own website, and advertise on Yelp. For Saks, the diagnosis has inspired her to reach even higher, feeling empowered to have a community to call her own.

"I'm part of the UM CARD Center (University of Miami Center for Autism and Related Disabilities), and I have friends who are autistic, as well. I finally have a community," she says. At 34, with a newfound understanding of her childhood struggles, she's looking ahead. "Finally. This is why I acted the way I did when I was a kid. This is why certain things bothered me. It has helped a lot."

A handful of South Florida businesses, such as Our Ground Coffee (and, until recently, Pilo's Tequila Garden and its sister taqueria), employ people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, but very few are run entirely by someone on the spectrum. That positions Saks as an inspiration to many in her community and beyond.

How to Order Cakes, Cupcakes, and Cheesecakes From Kathy's Kakery

Saks confides that business has slowed down, but she is hopeful that 2025 will be a wonderful year for the bakery. "Last year, I got a cupcake order on Instagram, but usually, it's through word of mouth and my website," she notes. She's extremely active on Instagram, sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses into how she creates her creative sweets.

To order, visit her website or send her a direct message via her Instagram, @KathysKakery.

Kathy's Kakery. kathyskakerycom.wordpress.com.