Our Story

About 20 years ago, Erika Hecht stepped away from a stressful job to learn the art of pastry at a French bakery. She's been baking professionally ever since. When the pandemic left her out of work, she finally chased a longtime dream: opening a bakery devoted to Jewish pastries.

Erika loves taking classic Jewish family recipes and giving them a gourmet twist, recipes she and her team have spent years perfecting. That love built Sweet Butter Bakery into what it is today, a kosher pastry shop with treats found at several establishments around town, plus custom orders for life's special moments.

In August 2026, Sweet Butter began its next chapter. Yair and Lainey Richler, the husband-and-wife team behind Café Alma, took over the bakery, carrying forward everything Erika built.

Baking runs deep in the Richler family, from Yair's early days in his parents' Jerusalem bakery to opening Café Alma with Lainey, a native Cincinnatian who found her way back home. Before stepping into ownership at Sweet Butter, Yair spent time staging in the bakery himself, learning the craft alongside the woman who built it from the ground up.

For Yair and Lainey, taking on Sweet Butter is not about starting over. It's about honoring what Erika built and growing it for what's next, nourishing the body with a little indulgence and bringing people together, one pastry at a time.

Sweet Butter's pastries remain Cincinnati Kosher Certified and can still be found around town. Special orders are always welcome. Order online and pick up at the bakery.

We look forward to baking for you, your family, & friends 🧡