There are many nights Zaven Ratevosyan stays up, his head racing with thoughts about how to make his next delicious masterpiece.
Ratevosyan is owner of Natalie Bakery, which opened in 1996 in Plano. Earlier this year, the Armenian American-owned bakery moved to Carrollton. The 62-year-old Ratevosyan said the bakery is his version of the American dream.
“Some countries, you can work 24 hours a day and you cannot see the results,” he said. “Here it’s different; it’s freedom.”
Since the early 2000s, Ratevosyan has been making custom designed cakes. He said he embraces the challenges posed by some of his customers’ requests. Ratevosyan, who studied sculpting in Armenia, has made cakes in all sorts of shapes over the years, including shoes and characters from popular video games.
It’s not just about making the design accurate. The cake must be constructed well enough to survive delivery, which can sometimes require more than two hours.
“First you do the structure; you have to build it,” he said. “Then you have to bring the cake; that can be very, very scary.”
Ratevosyan admits it’s difficult to watch his creations — some of which can take days to make — being devoured in a matter of minutes. But the expressions on the faces of people who enjoy his cakes makes it all worth while.
“Of course you make money. You put your time into it,” he said. “But you know what’s the interesting part? When people get happy.”
The glass cases at the front of the store are filled with assortments of cream puffs, cookies and cupcakes. Additionally, the bakery delivers items to about 60 stores in Texas, Ratevosyan said.
Ratevosyan said he learned how to bake as a child inside his father’s bakery in Armenia. He operated a bakery in California before he moved to North Texas. His son, Roman, 37, expects to take over the family business after Ratevosyan retires.
Roman said he started going to the bakery when he was about 11 years old. He remembers coming there early in the mornings and sleeping on flour bags as he waited for his parents to finish work. He says he’s heartened to see his children embracing the family business as well.
“Even my son does it. He comes in here and makes cakes and stuff,” Roman said.
Ratevosyan’s wife jests that Natalie Bakery is her husband’s first love. But really, he sees the business as his child.
“For me, that’s the best part — family business. You spend all day with your family,” he said. “My grandchild comes here, I spend one hour with him here while he’s making something.”
