Stephanie Spear Kathleen Faliskie is a classically trained pastry chef with over a decade of experience in some of Northern Virginia’s top kitchens. But she also has fun in the kitchen, combining flavor profiles and unexpected textures. And clients love it: Kathleen was voted 2025’s Best of Loudoun in the Loudoun Times-Mirror. Read on for more with Kathleen, what inspires her, and what keeps her going on a late night of baking.
About Kathleen
Kathleen moved to Loudoun County with her family as a middle-schooler. Baking started as a hobby in high school. “It was really my escape,” Kathleen said. “I made muffins and cupcakes. I didn’t have many friends and didn’t play sports. It became my first business when I turned 17.” Kathleen credits a neighbor for pushing her to take her baking from a hobby to a business. “A local coffee shop started selling my baked goods, and I would drop things off to customers on the way to school,” she said.
Kathleen and her cakes. Photo courtesy of Kathleen Faliskie
After high school, Kathleen earned an associate’s degree from the Culinary Institute of America in baking and pastry arts. She came back to Northern Virginia and got to work. Kathleen worked at Landsdowne Resort, was the Head Baker at Potomac Pastries – Head Baker; was the Executive Pastry Chef at The Conche; and was the General Manager of the Conche’s Chocolate and Cake Studio.
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If that sounds exhausting, Kathleen confirms that it was. She credits her time in these kitchens and the relationships she developed as essential parts of her current success. But in April 2024, she stepped back to take a break from working in commercial kitchens.
Back to Baking
At the time, Kathleen lived with her sister and her then four-year-old niece. “I was so burnt out from cooking, I really needed a break,” Kathleen said. “I started baking with my niece, and it reminded me of what I loved about baking. I got my passion back. The joy she found in baking made things make sense for me.”
A wedding cake baked by Kathleen. Photo courtesy of Kathleen Faliskie.
In late August 2024, Kathleen connected with the team at Bluewater Kitchen in Upperville. “They were looking for a pastry chef and I was ready to come back,” Kathleen said. “I started in August and then had a wedding cake booked for every weekend in September.” Kathleen credits the Bluewater team’s supportive atmosphere for her success. “They got a lot of help when they got started, so they want to pay it forward. And that’s how I am too, I work with a lot of interns and keep in touch with them,” she said. “It’s a small industry and it can be really competitive. But there are some of us who just want to see people succeed. I was really fortunate to find [Bluewater].”
One of Kathleen’s cakes in a styled shoot. Photo credit @pearlpoppyweddingco, courtesy of Kathleen Faliskie
Kathleen works out of a commercial kitchen, and customers can pick up their bakes in Brambleton and Leesburg. She worked with Bluewater until it closed in the fall of 2025. She continues to work with private clients and take orders for all kinds of things, from dessert bars to wedding cakes. “I like everything,” she said. “My favorite thing is the parfaits and dessert tables. I love it when a client gives me a flavor profile and lets me run with it. I like to experiment with different flavors and textures.”
“I like making things look good, taste good, and I have a high standard,” Kathleen said. “I love cake decorating, but my first love is baking. After years of practice, I was able to become a better cake decorator, but that’s not something I started out being able to do. Kathleen says she’s a night owl who does most of her baking in the evenings. “I always have an electrolyte drink and some savory snacks,” she said. “I blast some pop music and bake.”
Holiday dessert board. Photo courtesy of Kathleen Faliskie
She says that one of the best parts of her job is the customer feedback. “People will say it tastes even better than it looks, which isn’t usually the case,” she said. “Or a client orders something from me based on a dessert they had at another event.”
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You can order treats directly from Kathleen via her website. In addition to baking for special occasions, Kathleen has special holiday dessert boards available.
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