Over the holidays, videos of a Miami-based bakery called Camila's Patisserie began circulating on social media, with food bloggers coining the shop as a "hidden gem in Miami for Basque cheesecake lovers." New Times wondered what made the delicious-looking cheesecakes so special, and it soon became clear as day.
It was 2022 when founder Claudia Aponte and her husband Alex received the news she was pregnant after trying for 11 years. Unfortunately, due to complications, the couple lost their baby girl, Camila. Claudia tells New Times she went into her bubble to grieve, but as she spent time in isolation from the world around her, a fond, core memory came to mind.
"My husband and I's favorite dessert has always been burnt Basque cheesecake," she says. "Every time we went to Spain on vacation, we were on the hunt to find not the tourist sites, but instead, the local places where they sold the best burnt Basque cheesecake. During my grief, that's where I wanted it to be — mentally and physically in that moment."
Therefore, Claudia channeled her grief into that memory, and slowly, her bubble expanded into her kitchen, where she started baking her cheesecakes. After many recipe trials, she created her signature recipe, and soon, the classic cheesecake, which is now sold at the patisserie, came about. To Claudia, the classic recipe is one of the most special to her, not just because it was the cheesecake that started it all but also because it honors Camila's life. During her pregnancy, she constantly craved almonds, so her classic recipe has a hint of almond just for Camila.
Cheesecakes Made With a Mother's Love and a Father's Unwavering Support
Over the next several weeks and months, Claudia baked for her neighbors and close friends, who have helped her expand her recipes. Some of her friends helped her create the Nutella flavor, as well as a Dessert Wars award-winning maple bacon and pecan.As time went by, Alex realized his wife's hobby was more than a pastime — she had an undeniable talent. Therefore, he looked into how to sell the cheesecakes. However, they soon found out they could not sell the cheesecakes from their house. Despite this drawback (and the fact that they had never even made a single monetary sale at this point), the couple took a leap of faith and decided to sign a contract for a commissary kitchen and get all the permits necessary to start the business.
"I asked myself, 'Are we crazy or not?'" she laughs fondly. "I had a contact from a farmers market, and my husband convinced me to call them and ask if they were willing to accept us. That's how it started. Every weekend, we would sell them by the piece. I was so stressed because I had to bake eight cheesecakes, but it worked. People were loving it."
As her hobby became a business, Claudia developed more flavors, such as the popular pistachio flavor. Soon, she secured a weekly spot at the Pinecrest Gardens farmers market, which was known to be hard to get into. To Claudia, this marked a shift in her journey. "The location, the people, and the loyal, recurring customers changed everything for us," she says.
With a loyal clientele, Claudia had the confidence to think of other ways to sell the cheesecakes. Upon knocking on café doors, Mr. Bean Coffee Shop at the Falls mall was the first of many cafés and restaurants that now carry Camila's Patisserie.
The business grew, and Claudia's next goal was to open her own bakery.
After Becoming a Community Hit, Camila's Patisserie Finds a Permanent Home
"Our little angel is here; I know that she's here because of the way we found this place," Claudia says. "It was on a Sunday at the farmers' market. My husband and I kept going through Facebook Marketplace, and suddenly, this place popped up for rent. It sounded too good to be true, but my husband decided to just pass by it to see it from the outside. That same day, he set up an appointment, and when we opened this door, I just visualized myself here. It was just perfect."In August of 2024, Camila's Patisserie opened its first brick-and-mortar shop at 834 SW 27th Ave. between Coral Way and Little Havana. Then, this past October, Claudia got the opportunity to open a kiosk at the Plaza Coral Gables where regulars can get cheesecakes by the slice.
At the main store, guests can buy slices for $12 or the whole cheesecake starting at $75, as well as coffee and a new cheesecake milkshake made with a slice of cheesecake of the customer's choice instead of ice cream.
Although the business is only two years old, its growth is undeniable. Claudia attributes most of that to her family, who supported her throughout her grief journey, and now Camila's, which has stemmed from it.
Her Family Jumps in to Support the Patisserie, Now a Fully Family-Run Business
Upon opening, her husband Alex retired to devote himself to Camila's. Soon after, most of their family from Venezuela joined, all becoming instrumental to Camila's. Her brother José "Toto" Francisco Balza became her right-hand man and partner chef. He helped develop many cheesecake flavors, including the "Ash Coconut," and handled part of the baking so Claudia could have time to spread her story.Her sister-in-law, Emily Machado, became the manager of the Coral Gables outpost, and her father, Jose "Tete" Vicente Balza, is the delivery coordinator for Camila's.
"I have been very open with my story," Claudia affirms. Her story is the purpose of Camila's and makes the business what it is today. "Many women specifically have been through the same experience, and to become an inspiration for someone else, I think, is the best part of this journey," she says. Although the pain her family has experienced from the loss will never heal, being open about it has helped her find her way out of the initial isolation bubble.
Another part of her healing process was using Camila's Patisserie's success to help people who are now facing the same loss.
Every year, a percentage of Camila's classic sales supports Nico's Promise, a program from Nicklaus Children's Hospital that offers therapy to any family member affected by the death of a child. Another foundation Claudia supports whenever possible is ICU Baby, which provides financial and emotional help to parents who have their babies in the ICU.
Claudia's dream is to start her own foundation.
As for possible expansions, Claudia wants to focus on being conscious about the product instead of rapid growth. But next year, the business will begin nationwide shipping so that more people can taste the cheesecakes.
Camila's Patisserie. 1834 SW 27th Ave., Miami; camilaspatisserie.com.
