Sugar and spice and everything nice are what Michelle Rasul puts into her cakes. Just this past weekend, she and the Gateaux team had six wedding cakes to create and deliver, which combined to feed more than 600 guests. Good thing Rasul and her talented team know their way around the kitchen and baking ovens. Michelle, along with her sister Danielle Bush, operate Gateaux and Petite Gateaux Bakeries. These two women have continued the long tradition of the Gateaux brand which started on Speer Blvd 26 years ago and now they are proud to have opened their second location here in Lowry.
Born in Marlton, New Jersey, these sisters have always remained close and truly value their strong family bonds. Not only do they get along, but over the years, they have lived, worked and supported one another. And if you asked them, they aren’t just sisters but best friends. They grew up in a household that inspired the love of food and baking.
Michelle and her siblings grew up in a traditional east coast family kitchen, learning to cook and bake by pulling up a kitchen chair to the counter and watching their mother work her culinary magic. It was their Mom’s love for her family and cooking that imprinted heavily on all three children. The middle child, Ronnie Bush, is a sous chef currently at a Michelin-selected restaurant in Denver’s Union Station.
Michelle began working in bakeries in New Jersey at the age of 14. She was often discovered at work during her teenage years instead of being in her high school classes. “It was a way to earn money but a better way to learn the artistry of baking and cake decorating,” she said. “I’ve worked for some wonderful families who believed in the tradition of passing down trade secrets to only those who were trustworthy.” And that she was.
She attended the Johnson and Wales cooking school. Armed with a spatula and an appetite for success, Michelle began waiting tables and bartending to support herself while searching for a bakery to belong to and call home.
“I actually met the previous owner of Gateaux at a specialty cake supply store while sourcing materials to make a wedding cake for a restaurant coworker,” she says, starting a story of a day that changed her life. “Kathleen Davia (Kenny) came over to me said, ‘If you pull this cake off, I want you to come and see me at my bakery.'” Michelle was hired as a cake decorator at the Gateaux Bakery on Speer in March of 2010.
Danielle, ahead by four years, has always had a passion for the hospitality business and welcomed the opportunity to join forces with Michelle in growing her bakery dreams. She attended Rowan University and majored in business management while working full time in restaurants. Upon graduation, her father became her business partner, and she was able to bring her dream of opening a restaurant to life. She ran an Italian restaurant for three years before selling it and moving out to Denver.
After working and managing the Speer Gateaux store for ten years, Michelle purchased the business from Davia in January 2020. She and Danielle joined forces after an unprecedented introduction into entrepreneurship and Gateaux grew.
With the everchanging landscape of Denver’s Golden Triangle, Michelle saw what made that bakery successful – a good product and a strong sense of community. So, when a little store front in the Lowry Town Center opened up, “We liked the values of the Lowry community and a small business that was right on main street. I used to drive by these neighborhoods hoping one day to afford to live here. But then to have the opportunity to put down roots in Lowry with my new bakery was an incredibly proud moment.” They opened on March 15, 2024.
Twice a week, Michelle drives down to Union Station to deliver desserts to the luxury train line Rocky Mountaineer at 6 a.m., where she can be found loading up the train cars with fabulous croissants, petit fours, and many more delicious offerings. Not only are they supplying train passengers, but they also work with a variety of clients in the Denver metro area and beyond, so you you never know where you might see a Gateaux specialty cake.
Just to give you an idea of volume, between both bakeries, they utilize more than 500 pounds of flour, 300 pounds of butter, and more than 200 pounds of a sugar a week. In December last year, they sold more than 60,000 decorated shortbread tea cookies. Production keeps their team busy. “But this is what we love, and we’re able to make people happy and be a part of some of their most important celebrations,” Michelle says.
In addition to the many hats Michelle wears professionally, she also has three children, an 11-year-old and two-year-old twins. So, it’s very beneficial to not only have her sister’s support, but their father also helps in any way possible. He was busy with the remodeling of Petite Gateaux, turning the former ice-cream store into his daughter’s vision. Dad also delivers a large order of breakfast pastries to UCHealth every Tuesday through Saturday.
It’s truly a family business, and it’s true that owning a bakery is a job – and yes, hard work – but how can you not like a job when people’s faces light up once they walk through the door? Everyone is smiling and happy surrounded by incredible cakes and confections – not to mention two smiling sisters happy to have you in their bakery. Bon appetit!
Meet Your Lowry Neighbors is a monthly feature written by our intrepid reporter Sally Kurtzman, who knows everyone in our community. If you have a suggestion for a Meet Your Lowry Neighbors, please send us an email to connect@lowryunitedneighborhoods.org.