Archives | Local Biz Spotlight | Eat low-carb without ditching the sweets

Published July 2021

Note to readers – This lovely couple has since moved to Tennessee and no longer serve the local area

BY MICHELE MILLER
What’s What New Port Richey

Cheesecake. Whoopie pies. Bagels. Irish cream brownies. Blueberry muffins. Chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. Snowball cookies. Truffles.

There are all the things you might be missing out on if you’ve gone the low-carb route.

But you might not have to.

Bethann and Dave Kahlbaugh, proprietors of Sweet Desires Keto Bakery, are filling a need these days with low-carb and gluten-free offerings of all of the above and more.

It’s a small start-up, born out of their home kitchen and a lifestyle change about 18 months ago that had them going Keto.

There’s no storefront to go to for this bakery. You order and pay online a couple of days ahead of time. They bake your desserts to order and pack it all up in bright pink boxes. You pick it up during designated time frames. Or have it delivered within a 5-mile radius of Trinity, for an added fee.

Customers have been willing to travel from Land O’Lakes, Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, Tampa and Largo since they rolled out their product via social media a few months ago, Bethann said.

Sweet Desires Keto Bakery is a side business after all for the couple who married four years ago, and share five kids between them.

“We’re an eharmony success story,” Dave said, adding that the two also share an entrepreneurial spirit.

“We’re non-stop,” said Bethann.

She works for Pasco County Schools as the site manager of the before and after-school PLACE program at Long Leaf Elementary in Trinity. Dave works in IT for Blue Pearl Veterinary partners. They also flip houses on the side. Now there’s a home bakery.

“We just really enjoy doing this and sharing what we’ve learned,” Dave said. “Keto has really made a difference in our lives.”

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Bethann Kahlbaugh was looking for a healthier lifestyle and a way to loose weight when she embarked on the Keto diet about 18 months ago.

She began to make new recipes, with new ingredients, following guidance from a book by Suzanne Ryan called Simply Keto: A Practical Approach to Health & Weight Loss.

“It took awhile to master,” she said. “Keto is a whole new thing – a different way of cooking and baking.”

Dave went along and the two started seeing results right away. They both lost weight. An added boon was that Dave was able to cut back on blood pressure medication.

But as with all diets, something was missing.

Sweets.

“You might be able to order something that was diabetic friendly at (the supermarket) or have to order something online,” Bethann said. “We decided to experiment ourselves with recipes.”

Dave, who was an old hand in the kitchen, dived right in.

“Since I was a little kid I baked,” he said. “I learned from my mom and dad. They let me have my way in the kitchen.”

The two say they work well together in the kitchen, dividing duties based upon their strengths and making good use of the dual oven they had installed.

“She does bagels, muffins, pizza dough and all the peanut butter stuff,” Dave said. “I do candied nuts, carrot cake. We split the cheesecake 50/50.”

Photo courtesy Sweet Desires Keto Bakery

He slices the desserts because he is better at that.

The couple promotes their offerings, including sampler boxes, through Facebook and on their website.

After about four months up and running, they figure they’re doing well, though expansion is still a distant thought.

“We’re baking nights. We’re baking weekends,” Bethann said. “We just really enjoy spending time together in the kitchen and sharing with others how Keto has made a difference in our lives.”