Icing on the cake
A lockdown experiment with batch cookie dough has grown into a wholesale bakery supplying cafés and restaurants across the North East.
Michaela Keenan started Rolling in the Dough during the Covid. It was a modest beginning for what has since become a wholesale bakery business supplying around 20 cafés and restaurants across Cavan, Meath, Louth and Dublin.
Michaela had spent time working in professional kitchens before studying business in Cavan and later completing her pastry training at TU Dublin’s Cathal Brugha Street.
The turning point came when a local café asked if she could supply baked goods for their counter.
“I just kind of kicked on from there,” she says.
The Virginia business has since evolved, producing brownies, blondies, cookies, cakes and tray bakes, though the cookie dough is still popular around Christmas time.
Her team now includes two other bakers.
“If it wasn’t for them, I just wouldn’t be able to do it,” says Michaela, adding that having creative people around has brought another dimension to the business.
“It’s great to balance ideas off each other.”
The next milestone arrived when three of Rolling in the Dough’s products were listed as finalists in the Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards.
“When the email came in, I nearly dropped,” admits Michaela.
And the success didn’t stop there! Rolling in the Dough was named Best in County Cavan at the event in Dingle. The team also won gold for their Carrot Cake, and bronze for their Apple Crumble Cookies and Salted Caramel Brownies.
Growing the business has meant learning more than just baking. Everything from organising production and deliveries to building relationships with customers and managing her team are key skills Michaela continues to develop.
She now wants to see Rolling in the Dough on more café counters, while maintaining those same high standards.
For a young business owner, the recognition is a powerful reminder that hard work does pay off.
“It’s great to be recognised.”
CONTACT US
Contact Rolling In The Dough on 085-8758145 or email Hello.RollingintheDough@gmail.com