We recently connected with Angela Grillo and have shared our conversation below.

Angela, appreciate you joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

Leaving a 9–5 is hard. Owning your own business is harder. It asks everything of you—your time, your energy, your courage, and often your comfort. But when it works, when it truly aligns with who you are, the reward goes far beyond financial success.

I know this because I took a leap that didn’t make sense on paper. I purchased Maribelle while I was nine months pregnant and walked away from a corporate career that paid me very, very well. It was a stable job, a clear path, and a version of success many people spend their lives chasing. But my heart was pulling me somewhere else, and I chose to listen.

From there, I built Mon-Petit-Choux (MPC) from the ground up—one decision, one mistake, one lesson at a time. There were no shortcuts. As a small business owner, you wear every hat: creator, operator, problem-solver, bookkeeper, marketer, and sometimes janitor. It wasn’t always easy, and success was never guaranteed. Growth was earned through long nights, real risk, and relentless commitment.

But with each challenge came clarity. What I gained was something no salary could replace: Purpose. Fulfillment. The ability to build something meaningful with my own hands and to create opportunity along the way.

That same foundation—built at MPC—is what now allows me to take my next leap: launching Bean & Barrel. It’s not a sudden jump, but the evolution of years of experience, resilience, and belief. Proof that when you start from the ground up and stay true to your vision, new doors continue to open.

You only get one life. And if you never take a chance, the reward is limited. Risk doesn’t come with certainty, but it does come with growth. Following your heart may not be the safest move—but it can be the most honest one. And sometimes, the bravest thing you can do in business is trust yourself before anyone else does.

Angela, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I fell in love with pastry at sixteen, during my first trip to Paris. I grew up in Michigan, and a dear family friend—an executive with General Motors—was relocated to Paris with his family for several years. My sister was best friends with his daughter, and our families were close, so we were invited to visit and stay with them. That trip changed everything.

Paris opened my eyes in a way I didn’t yet have words for. My mother still laughs when she tells the story—how I would stop and stare at every pâtisserie window, completely mesmerized, while my family kept walking, unaware I’d fallen behind. I was enthralled by the beauty, the precision, the artistry. It felt like magic. That’s where my first true love was born: the French fruit tart. To this day, I’ve carried that inspiration into my own kitchen, refining and contouring it into something that is both classic and personal.

That early spark eventually became the foundation of my work. I went on to formally study pastry and cake design, learning from some of the best in the industry, and later built Mon-Petit-Choux (MPC) from the ground up. Today, my brands include Maribelle, Mon-Petit-Choux, and now Bean & Barrel, each one an evolution of my creative and entrepreneurial journey.

What do I offer? At the core, I create pastries, cakes, desserts, and culinary experiences rooted in craftsmanship, quality, and intention. From award-winning cream puffs and elegant cakes to thoughtfully designed dessert concepts and hospitality-driven spaces, my work blends technique with emotion. Through Bean & Barrel, that vision expands into coffee, pastry, and elevated gathering—another way to bring people together around beauty and flavor.

The problem I solve for my clients is simple but deeply important: I create moments that feel special. Whether someone is celebrating a wedding, a milestone, or just an ordinary Tuesday that deserves beauty, my work brings care, excellence, and warmth to the experience. Clients come to me not just for dessert, but for trust—for something that reflects meaning, joy, and attention to detail.

What sets me apart isn’t just ingredients or awards—though I do use the very best, and my products have been recognized because they are genuinely delicious. What truly sets my businesses apart is me.

There are many great bakeries in our city, and there is room for all of us. Different styles, different price points, different audiences—and that doesn’t mean one is better than another. But when I started, no one was doing what I do in the way I do it. My presence, my standards, my care for people—those are the difference.

I am deeply involved with my clientele and my employees. I’ve built work environments that are loving, supportive, and human—while still being hardworking and disciplined. My mission, and the mission I instill in my team, is simple: everyone who walks through our doors should feel welcome, seen, and important. No matter who you are, where you come from, or what your story is—you belong here.

One of the things I am most proud of is not just what I’ve built, but how I’ve built it. I hire from my community, I train people, I give second chances, and I create opportunities for growth. I donate what we can to shelters. I care deeply about people—customers, staff, and community alike—and that care shows up in the work.

What I want potential clients, followers, and fans to know is this: my brands are extensions of my heart. Every pastry, every space, every experience is created with intention, respect for craft, and genuine love for people. I believe beauty matters. I believe food is a language. And I believe that when you lead with heart, excellence follows.

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

From the very beginning, I have self-funded my businesses. I started with $30,000 in cash and took out a loan to purchase my building. Every step after that was built carefully, intentionally, and with a deep sense of responsibility.

The only time I took on additional business debt for operating capital was during COVID. Like many small business owners, I was faced with impossible decisions. Rather than closing temporarily, I chose to take out an SBA loan. At the time, I was leasing space in downtown Cincinnati, and my priority was making sure my employees were taken care of. I never wanted them to worry about their livelihoods.

Looking back, that decision came with important lessons. While I would make the same choice again in terms of caring, I would make different choices in terms of structure and boundaries. What I learned—through experience—is that while many employees are grateful, most do not fully see or understand the personal sacrifices business owners make behind the scenes.

That realization changed how I lead. A business must be run as a business, with clear limits and sustainability at the forefront. The owner matters. Your family matters. And sacrificing yourself indefinitely for others is not a model for long-term success.

Sometimes the strongest decision isn’t pushing through—it’s knowing when to slow down, pause, or put the brakes on. If I had the chance to do it again, I would make that choice differently, not from a place of fear, but from wisdom.

That experience shaped how I approach growth today: intentionally, responsibly, and with a deeper understanding that caring for others begins with caring for the health of the business itself.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Resilience in business often shows up in the small moments—the ones that feel devastating in the moment but become lessons if you let them.

I remember one morning vividly. We had just finished a beautiful batch of croissants for our downtown location. They were perfect—golden, flaky, exactly how they should be after a 48-hour process. Trays of them were lined up on our worktables, ready to go. As I walked through the kitchen carrying a hot tray, I tripped. The tray in my hands fell forward, hit the table, and sent every single croissant crashing to the floor.

That was it. No croissants that day.

In the moment, it felt horrible. Hours of work gone in seconds. But it wasn’t the end of the world. No one was hurt. We didn’t fail as a business. We simply had a bad moment—and we moved on.

That experience reflects what I tell my team all the time: we strive for perfection, but perfection is impossible. What matters is the pursuit of excellence. You get better through repetition, through mistakes, and through learning. We’re not brain surgeons—no one is going to die on our tables. What we do is important, but it’s also human.

When something goes wrong, we don’t spiral. We clean it up, we talk about what happened, we learn from it, and we do better next time. That’s how growth happens. That’s how confidence is built. And that’s how you become great—by picking yourself up, staying grounded, and continuing forward, one step at a time.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mon-petit-choux.com/
• Instagram: mon.petit.choux.cincinnati
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/Monpetitchouxus

Image Credits
Angela Grillo