Meet the Mother-Daughter Duo Behind Nashville’s Sweetest Bakery Concept
Chelle and Rosie Baldwin are the inspiring mother-daughter duo behind SweetAbility, a Nashville-based bakery creating meaningful jobs for individuals with disabilities. Changing lives, one cookie at a time! Image: Rebecca Denton
Editor’s note: September 25 is National Daughters’ Day! To celebrate, we’re highlighting mother-daughter duos who are collaborating to inspire the community and excel in business. Enjoy!
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When Chelle Baldwin learned her daughter Rosie not only had autism but also an intellectual disability, she didn’t just adapt — she acted. Driven by a mother’s love and a fierce sense of purpose, Chelle transformed her high-end cake side hustle into something far greater: SweetAbility, a bakery with a mission to provide safe, joyful employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Today, Chelle and Rosie work side by side — cracking eggs, making cookie dough, and proving what’s possible when compassion meets determination.
Chelle, can you take us back to the moment you first imagined SweetAbility? What fueled the idea?
Chelle: At an elementary to middle school transition IEP [Individualized Education Program] meeting for Rosie, the psychologist informed me she had an intellectual disability on top of her previously diagnosed disabilities of autism and apraxia of speech. She explained that once out of school, people with her disabilities struggle to find a job and keep it. She also informed me that females are incredibly vulnerable to sexual predators, with an abuse rate in the 90th percentile.
I walked home from that meeting trying to think of a safe work situation for her, and I realized she liked to help me with the baking I was doing for my side gig — a high-end cake business. I decided to turn that business into one where people with disabilities could find success in creating baked goods.
Rosie, what’s your favorite part about working at SweetAbility?
Rosie: Hmm, I think it is helping my mom crack eggs.
Is there a specific treat you especially love making?
Rosie: Cookie dough!
Chelle, many parents in similar situations might feel overwhelmed. What gave you the courage to not only advocate for Rosie but to create something bigger for the community?
Chelle: I’m not one to shy away from a challenge, in general. And when it comes to the safety and well-being of my kids, I am willing to do whatever it takes. As things progressed, and knowing Rosie’s social nature, I realized it could be a great opportunity for others. So we expanded our goals to include a commercial kitchen where we could employ other folks with disabilities.
Rosie, what does it feel like to work alongside your mom every day?
Rosie: My mom is the best joke-teller I know and love. It feels awesome!
Chelle, what have been some of the biggest lessons Rosie has taught you — about parenting, perseverance, or joy?
Chelle: Rosie was our first child, so it took a bit for me to recognize she was not on track developmentally. Once I figured that out, and got her evaluated and into therapies, it became almost a full-time job. Patience is required when dealing with a person who is disabled … as well as everyone who comes into contact with us, because most folks are well-meaning but also ill-informed.
We had family members who balked at the idea that Rosie had autism and other disabilities. We had a neighbor who repeatedly asked me if Rosie was deaf because she couldn’t speak. I had to tell her multiple times that Rosie was not deaf but instead had a disability that kept her brain from being able to get the muscles in her mouth to work to form words.
Rosie has also taught me to be more aware of where others are coming from, what they might be dealing with, and how to find joy in what most would view as “givens” in life.
Rosie, what’s something you wish more people understood about autism or intellectual disabilities?
Rosie: My speech. It’s hard to get words out; I wish they would wait.
What is something people might be surprised to learn about you?
Rosie: When I hear a song, I can tell you the name of the song and the singer!
If a parent of a disabled child is reading this and feeling unsure about the future, what would you both want them to know?
Rosie: It’ll be ok! You can do this!
Chelle: I would encourage them to seek help wherever they can find it, and to look for what their child finds joy or success in doing. Fostering those things can lead to connections in the community that might present an opportunity for their child.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
Chelle: My stepdad has a lot of one-liners that seem simple, but they are truly gold nuggets and words to live by. There are a few that are at the top of the list. First, “Patience is a virtue,” and second, “For cheap, you pay twice.”
Outside of faith, family, and friends, what three things can’t you live without?
Rosie: My phone, my iPad, and food.
Chelle: A calendar for scheduling, the pop-up reminder option on the phone calendar to keep me from forgetting things I need to do, and Ale8. (It’s a soda from my hometown in KY that is my source of caffeine since I don’t drink coffee!)
LIGHTNING ROUND!
Favorite place to eat, shop, or play in Nashville?
Rosie: Tacos at Tres Hermanos
Chelle: Ginger Thai off Thompson Lane
Favorite recent book or podcast?
Rosie: My Playaway
Chelle: Any Stephen King audiobook
Dream celebrity customer you’d love to bake for?
Rosie: Foo Fighters
Chelle: Dolly, because she has a heart of gold.
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For more inspiring stories, visit our FACES archives!
Jenna von Oy Bratcher
Jenna von Oy Bratcher is StyleBlueprint's Associate Editor and Lead Nashville Writer. The East Coast native moved to Nashville almost two decades years ago, by way of Los Angeles. She is a lover of dogs, strong coffee, traveling, and exploring the local restaurant scene bite by bite.