Bolingbrook a land of opportunity for owner of new Cali Girl bakery

BOLINGBROOK – A dream come true is materializing as Bolingbrook's newest sweet shop.

Alicia Gozum, a California native who moved to Bolingbrook 11 years ago, has opened her Cali Girl Cakes bakery in a storefront at 681 W. Boughton Road.

Gozum said she had been eying a business for about six years before finding the "perfect little space."

"When I moved here, I said my dream was always to open some sort of business having to do with parties, pretty stuff and baking," Gozum said last week, a few days before the business marked its grand opening on Saturday. "So my husband said let's go for it. We spent about six years looking for the best location and now my vision is a reality."

Gozum's path to Bolingbrook began when she met her husband, Jerry, in Las Vegas on a weekend get-away with girlfriends.

"He was there for a bachelor party for his best friend. We exchanged phone numbers and that was it. We talked on the phone for a few months then married quickly," she said.

Eventually, Gozum and her husband picked out a house in Bolingbrook to live as a family. Her husband was instrumental in pushing her to pursue her dream.

"He just said, 'Do what you want to do, whatever your passion is, and I will support you,'" she said, reflecting.

Cali Girl Cakes specializes in specialty cakes and offers just about every sweet treat in the book: from cookies to scones to bars to brownies to cupcakes, all made-from-scratch, according to Gozum. She will also serve Caribou Coffee.

Her 1,600-square-foot storefront includes a seating area with four cafe tables and a dozen chairs for those who can't wait until home to satisfy their sweet tooth. When the weather warms, she will add a table outside.

Perhaps most important, though, is what's behind the scenes at the shop.

"We have a beatufitul, big kitchen that’s every baker’s dream," she said. "Two things I wanted for my business were top-notch ingredients and I wanted my staff to be happy – to have an environment where my staff enjoys what they do."

Gozum currently has two employees: executive pastry chef Sarah McFarland and her daughter, Valerie, who will handle customer service part-time.

Gozum said she grew up in a foster home where her foster father taught her to cook and bake.

"I would bake for the holidays and give baked foods as gifts for Christmas," she said.

She took baking classes and eventually worked as a lead baker for four years.

When asked what she envisions for her business down the road, Gozum insists she's just focusing on finding success right now.

"I have to say – dreams really do come true," she added.

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Cali Girl Cakes

LOCATION: 681 W. Boughton Road

CONTACT: 630-863-7935

HOURS: 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday

WEBSITE: www.caligirlcakes.com or on Facebook by searching "Cali Girl Cakes"