Owner of the Love and Buttercream bakery in Royal Oak, Brooke Wilson Vitale, is "creative, thoughtful, has an incredible business sense and is precisely the kind of young leader we want to keep in Oakland County," said Oakland County executive L. Brooks Patterson during his State of the County address on Feb. 8, according to a Feb. 9 Patch report by Mera McKenna.
The 29-year-old is the winner of Oakland County Executive's Elite 40 Under 40 Class of 2017. The contest was to highlight young professionals and thought leaders who live or work in Oakland County and "have achieved excellence in their field and contributed to the quality of life in their communities." Judges reviewed around 400 applications before narrowing it down to the top 40.
Vitale earned the number one spot after being selected by a public online vote. She started the bakery in her parent's basement in 2012 and just a few years later is at the helm of a 29-women operation. Love and Buttercream has received a number of accolades throughout the years, including HOUR Detroit's "Best Cookie" in 2014, 2015, and 2016 and Eater's "Top 5 Bakeries in Metro Detroit." Last year alone, the bakery created wedding cakes and desserts for 600 couples.
In a statement, Vitale said "I was really surprised and very flattered…There's something about this area that I can't quite put into words…It's a set of values, a culture, a feeling of support and a feeling of home. It's something magical and unique that you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else in the nation. It was the perfect place to let my dreams fly."
Vitale plans to open a second location in Birmingham. Love and Buttercream bakery is located at 3202 Crooks Road in Royal Oak. Call 248-850-7207 or visit www.loveandbuttercream.com/.
