Donuts, Cakes and More Bakery a sweet addition to downtown

A friendly and fragrant atmosphere greets customers at Donuts, Cakes and More Bakery, located at 171 W. Washington St.

The bakery opened on March 15 after three months of preparation. Its hours are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

“We love what we do,” said owner Laura Shaw. “We’re very excited to be in Sequim.”

Shaw opened Pies, Cakes and More in Port Angeles in February 2023.

“I’ve always wanted to have a bakery and I figured I’d better do it now, before I get too old,” Shaw said.

As the eldest of nine children, Shaw was initially taught to bake by her mother.

Throughout a 30-year career as a jeweler, Shaw baked and cooked for her family, with a priority on “wholesome, clean ingredients.” She has carried that same standard into her baking businesses, striving to use organic, local, fresh and high-quality ingredients.

Shaw and husband Tom live halfway between Sequim and Port Angeles, which she said is perfect for driving to the bakeries, both of which she works at every day they are open. Her workday begins around 3 a.m. because nearly everything sold at the bakeries is baked fresh daily.

Some items, like bread, are baked solely at the Port Angeles bakery, and some, like donuts, are made in Sequim, for practical reasons such as equipment and space.

Unlike the P.A. location, the Sequim bakery primarily serves sweets, but also carries a full range of yeast-risen and sourdough breads as well as some savory scones.

Shaw said that in the future a wider selection of savory items may be sold and that she plans to expand her coffee drinks beyond the brews already offered.

All baked goods are made from Shaw’s own recipes.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen/ Donuts, Cakes and More Bakery in Sequim offers a variety of treats.

Donuts include glazed and frosted, and some filled with homemade Bavarian cream, raspberry or lemon curd or bumbleberry.

Additional items include pies, brownies, cookies, pastries, cupcakes and Shaw’s favorite: cinnamon rolls. They come with or without nuts. Gluten-free options include mini raspberry and blueberry loaves, cookies, brownies, macaroons, pies and cakes.

The bakery accepts custom orders, with at least a month’s notice for large complicated wedding cakes and a few days to a week for smaller simpler cakes.

Said Shaw, “We want folks to like our product, so we’re always striving to do better and be more creative.

“I’ve never, ever been able to follow a recipe,” said Shaw. “I’ve always had to modify or improve it or create my own. So that’s what I did here with the bakery.”

Two grandsons who live locally help Tom with his official taste-testing duties, Shaw said. She explained that Tom, who has his own job to which he devotes 50-60 hours per week, also helps with maintenance and repairs as well as marketing. “He can fix anything.”

“Everything she bakes is spectacular,” Tom said, adding that “she’s not afraid to try new things. She always says that variety is the spice of life.”

He said he can’t eat store-bought bread after years of enjoying home-baked bread.

Shaw said her employees “are really good at getting creative, too. They’re always coming up with new ideas and new recipes. It’s just a really good conglomeration of creativity.

She has four employees in Sequim and six in P.A. “I have wonderful people that work for me. I’m just very fortunate and blessed to have that.”

An example, she said, is Sequim baker and decorator Jordan Prieto’s passion for decorating beautiful cakes.

Self-taught, Prieto said she has been baking since childhood, first out of necessity and then as a passion.

Prieto, who has worked for private bakeries as well as grocery stores, has been with the bakery since it opened.

“I love Laura,” Prieto said, “she’s the coolest boss in the world.”

At the Donuts, Cakes and More Bakery, Prieto said she is given freedom of expression.

“There are things that are staples, but if I want to experiment, put something new out to see how it does, she says ‘Okay, do it,’ which makes me really happy, because that’s a very new experience for me,” Prieto said.

Maggie Thayer, another of the Sequim bakery’s employees since it opened in March, said she enjoys making friends with the people who come in and getting to know the preferences of regular customers.

“I love it here,” she said.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen/ Donuts, Cakes and More Bakery in Sequim features a variety of pies.

New chapter

Shaw’s first bakery experience was managing a small bakery in Michigan when she was a young adult.

She said she enjoyed that job, but embarked on a different career path when a local jeweler recruited her.

After retiring, Shaw became bored and sought a new challenge. Now, she stays busy and engaged thanks to the two bakeries and expanding commercial outlets.

Shaw said she learned about business as an employee.

“I worked for some really great people over the years, and I just observed and watched how they did things and didn’t do things.

“If you’re respectful and you truly care, it makes a huge difference in how people treat you,” she said. “I’ve always lived by the adage treat others how you want to be treated.”

Contact the bakery at 360-775-0970 or laura@ piescakesandmore.com

For more information, visit piescakesandmore.com.

Prieto’s cake work can be viewed at instagram.com/heavenlysweets.wa.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen/ Laura Shaw stands with husband Tom Shaw outside her Donuts, Cakes and More Bakery at 171 W. Washington St. in Sequim. She also owns Pies, Cakes and More in Port Angeles.

Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen/ Laura Shaw saysthat she’s always been fond of her cinnamon rolls. At Donuts, Cakes and More Bakery there are ones with nuts and nut-free.