Goodness Cakes Bakery

Goodness Cakes Bakery is a small, owner-operated bakery at 720 University Ave in Rochester's Neighborhood of the Arts (NOTA) district. Nick and Bethany Soures opened the shop in February 2008, taking over a storefront previously occupied by a jeweler. Both owners bring professional baking backgrounds — Bethany trained at the French Culinary Institute in New York City and worked at several area bakeries including Wegmans' patisserie in Pittsford and Savoia Pastry Shoppe, while Nick began his baking career at age 15 in a Wegmans bakery. The couple has intentionally kept the operation small, handling all the baking themselves to maintain hands-on quality control.

Goodness Cakes specializes in made-to-order cakes and desserts, with nothing pre-made or frozen. Their offerings include:

• Custom cakes for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and other events
• Mini cupcakes and full-size cupcakes with rotating monthly flavors
• Tortes, including pear and chocolate varieties
• Tarts in large and small sizes
• Weeclairs and bars
• Cake by the slice

For wedding clients, the bakery offers private tastings with four to five rotating flavor options each month, along with delivery and setup. They also provide a complimentary fresh anniversary cake at the one-year mark. Orders require a minimum two-day notice. Hours and current availability may vary, so contact the bakery directly before visiting.

Goodness Cakes has built its identity around fresh, made-to-order baking with no frozen inventory. The bakery's small-batch approach reflects the Soureses' philosophy that quality tends to decline when bakeries scale up. Their wedding cake work and rotating seasonal cupcake flavors have been a consistent part of the business since its early years, and the shop maintains a walk-in-friendly display case alongside its custom order services.

The bakery sits on University Avenue in the NOTA (Neighborhood of the Arts) district of Rochester, NY, an area anchored by galleries, studios, and independent shops along the University Avenue corridor between Goodman Street and Atlantic Avenue. Street parking is available along University Ave. The neighborhood hosts the annual NOTA Art Walk and is one of Rochester's more walkable cultural districts, making the bakery a convenient stop while exploring the area's galleries and cafés.