Kate Smith Soirée, a new boutique confections and event planning company, has joined the Lenexa Public Market. The bakery boutique celebrated a grand opening on Saturday.
Lenexa resident Kate Smith, baker and owner of the boutique, specializes in French macarons but plans to switch up the menu each week with a variety of desserts, such as éclairs, crème brûlée, edible cookie dough, tarts, cakes, cakes by the slice and cookies.
After baking French macarons for her own wedding and baking other pastries for friends’ weddings and small events, she decided to open her own business. A macaron is an almond meringue confection made with egg whites, icing, sugar and food coloring.
She first opened her business in October 2018 out of her home. Brides started reaching out to her after a photo shoot with another wedding vendor in February; her business then took off and “just exploded” after she began selling at pop-up events in Platte City and at the Lenexa Public Market.
“From there, it just did so well, like shockingly well,” she said. “I still kinda don’t believe it.”
After a spot opening up, the Public Market offered her a place to set up a more permanent shop.
“Everything just happened so fast,” Smith said. “I’m just really excited. I don’t think it’s hit me yet that this is actually happening.”
Smith grew up in the culinary world, working in her family’s restaurant in Stillwater, Oklahoma. She moved to the Kansas City area last year after earning a degree in hotel and restaurant administration at Oklahoma State University. She also offers event planning; her previous work in event planning was in college and at Thompson Barn in Lenexa.
Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. The boutique will also offer some baked goods during “baking days,” with no set hours, on Tuesday and Wednesday.
