Antwoin Gutierrez wasn’t always in the kitchen baking cupcakes, but you’d never know. His entrepreneurial spirit shines through in his fresh take on sweets.
When he was 16 years old, he began to make and sell drugs. Over the years he got in trouble with the law and ended up in prison three times. The last time for robbery–he spent 32 months behind bars.
In 2011, he was released and joined the Doe Fund, a nonprofit organization that aims to break the cycle of homelessness, addiction, and criminal recidivism. It was through the Doe Fund that he was introduced to baking.
“He didn’t just give me a recipe,” Gutierrez told The Post of the head of food services who took him under his wing. “He showed me how to make it, and it was similar to what I was doing when cooking crack. It was all about mixing things and the different reactions you get with chemistry. Something just clicked.”
It wasn’t long before Gutierrez was working in the organization’s kitchen and then branching out to hotels and restaurants throughout New York City.
In addition to bettering his skills at various kitchens, he also started baking on the side.
“I would take pictures and post them on Insta, and people were asking where they could buy [them],” he said. “I knew there was a demand.”
In 2016, he took the leap and launched Fresh Taste Bakery. He bakes a variety of sweet treats, including alcohol-infused cupcakes, and sells them to everyone from the cast of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” to his mother.
“If I could tell teenage me that I’d be baking the dopest cupcakes, I would’ve said you’re crazy, ” Gutierrez said. “But I still have that hustler spirit.”
What an inspiration! Congratulations on all your hard work, Antwoin. May you continue to grow your business.
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