Today we’d like to introduce you to Taisiia Hrynchyshyna.
Hi Taisiia, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Patisserie Svoi is a story about a dream, a family, and a long step-by-step journey.
For some people, our desserts may look like just desserts. But for us, every cake, macaron, pastry, and cup of coffee carries a much bigger story behind it. It is the story of a dream that started long before we had a café. It is the story of planning, moving to a new country, adapting to a new life, learning a new market, and slowly building something meaningful with our own hands.
We did not start with a full bakery or café. We started small — with private dessert orders, deliveries, family celebrations, large parties, and special events. Later, we began working more with wedding cakes and desserts for important moments in people’s lives. Each order taught us something. Each customer helped us understand what people love, what they value, and how we could bring our own European style to St. Louis.
Little by little, step by step, that dream grew into Patisserie Svoi — a European bakery and café where people can come not only for custom cakes and desserts, but also for coffee, pastries, and a warm atmosphere.
The name “Svoi” is very personal to us. In Ukrainian and Slavic culture, “svoi” means more than just “our own.” It means your people — the people close to you, your circle, your community, the people with whom you feel at home. When we chose this name, we wanted to bring a piece of Ukraine and Europe to St. Louis: warmth, hospitality, handmade desserts, attention to detail, and the feeling that every guest is welcomed like one of our own.
For us, Patisserie Svoi is not just a bakery. It is our family’s path. It is the result of a dream, hard work, moving, adapting, learning, making mistakes, improving, and continuing to move forward. Behind every dessert there is not only a recipe, but also our journey.
We wanted to create a place where people feel comfortable, cared for, and connected — whether they come for a wedding cake, a birthday dessert, a cup of coffee, or just a quiet moment during the day. Our goal is for every guest to feel that they are not just buying something, but becoming part of a warm and welcoming space.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who has supported us along the way — everyone who ordered from us when we were just starting, trusted us with their weddings and family celebrations, visited our café, shared kind words, brought friends, or recommended us to someone else. Patisserie Svoi exists because of that support.
Today, when we serve our desserts, we see more than the final product. We see the whole path behind it — the dream, the planning, the move, the challenges, the learning, and the people who believed in us. And we are still growing, still learning, and still building this story one dessert, one customer, and one day at a time.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
No, it has not been a smooth road. It has been a very difficult journey, but also a meaningful one.
When we came to the United States, we had to start almost everything from the beginning: learning the language, understanding a completely different system, adapting to a new culture, learning how business works here, and building trust step by step.
We also had to balance family, work, and education. Taisiia worked on desserts during the day, at night, and whenever the children were sleeping. I worked to support the family and the business, and I am still studying at Washington University in St. Louis. Many nights were spent between work, planning, saving money, improving our processes, and studying.
Opening Patisserie Svoi was not just about desserts. It was about learning, adapting, working hard, and continuing to move forward even when things were not easy.
We are very grateful to the people who supported us along the way — customers, friends, and members of the community who believed in us and helped us grow.
As you know, we’re big fans of Patisserie SVOi. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Patisserie SVOi is a European bakery and café in St. Louis, located in the Central West End. We specialize in custom cakes, wedding cakes, macarons, pastries, desserts, and coffee.
What makes us different is the combination of European pastry traditions, handmade work, attention to detail, and a warm, personal approach to every guest. We are not trying to be just another bakery. We want Patisserie Svoi to feel like a place with soul — a place where people can come for something beautiful, meaningful, and made with care.
A big part of our work is custom cakes and wedding cakes. We love being part of important family moments — birthdays, weddings, baby showers, anniversaries, and celebrations. At the same time, we also want people to enjoy us in everyday life: stopping by for coffee, macarons, pastries, or a quiet dessert during the day.
Two of our most loved desserts are our traditional Medovik honey cake and Napoleon cake. These are classic European desserts that many of our customers return for again and again. They have become signature items for us, and we are now also considering opportunities to offer some of our desserts to other local cafés and businesses.
The name “Svoi” reflects our philosophy. It means “our people” or “one of us.” For us, every guest is important, and we want people to feel welcomed, comfortable, and connected when they visit.
We are most proud that Patisserie Svoi grew step by step from a family dream into a real community place. Every product we serve carries our story, our work, and our desire to bring a piece of Ukraine and Europe to St. Louis.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
People can support Patisserie Svoi in very simple and meaningful ways: by visiting our café, ordering desserts or coffee, trusting us with their family celebrations, and sharing our work with friends.
We love working with customers on custom cakes, wedding cakes, birthday cakes, macarons, pastries, fruit tarts, and dessert tables for special events. People can visit us in the Central West End, place an order through our website, or contact us through Instagram to discuss a custom cake, dessert order, or event.
Website: www.patisseriesvoi.com
Instagram: @patisserie_svoi
We are also open to collaboration with local cafés, bakeries, businesses, event planners, wedding vendors, and community organizations. We have many products that can be made to order and offered to other local businesses, including fruit tarts, macarons, individual pastries, and classic European desserts.
Some of our signature items, especially our traditional Medovik honey cake and Napoleon cake, have become customer favorites. We are currently exploring opportunities to offer selected desserts to other local cafés, bakeries, and businesses that want to add high-quality European-style desserts to their menu.
The best way to support us is to come in, try our desserts, bring a friend, leave a review, recommend us for a celebration, collaborate with us, visit our website, follow us on Instagram, or simply share our story. Every order, every visit, and every kind word helps our family business grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.patisseriesvoi.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patisserie_svoi/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patisseriesvoii
