In a world full of big business and corporations, it can be difficult for small businesses to get a foothold in the market. Especially if said business is run by a high school student who already has academics and athletics to juggle alongside it. Despite all of this, senior Sasha Bevacqua has risen up to this challenge and, over the past three years, has built up her baking business under the name of Sasha’s Macs.

Sasha’s Macs is a baking business that sells cupcakes, cookies, and, most notably, macarons. The business is run by Bevacqua as an alternative to store-bought treats that don’t have the same passion and soul poured into them as those made by local bakers. The business delivers directly to families all over Lamorinda.

“I have always been an avid baker of all types of treats, and I also enjoy baking for other people. The goal of Sasha’s Macs is to provide families with an alternative to buying grocery store desserts,” Bevacqua said. “I see more busy families opting for artificial baked goods from stores such as Safeway out of convenience, and Sasha’s Macs exists to change that by selling local treats that I deliver straight to families’ homes.”

Bevacqua began her business during her first year at Miramonte in 2023, thanks to her passion for baking for herself and others. The business was  the obvious choice for Bevacqua as it allowed her to work at a rate where she could still manage school and sports. 

“I enjoy the process of baking and I especially love to bake for others,” Bevacqua said. “Launching a baking business was a natural choice for me, as it offered the flexibility I needed compared to the more rigid schedule of working in a local bakery.”

Sasha’s Macs works to make a difference in the world through the sale of baked goods. In the past, Bevacqua has donated a portion of her profits to a nonprofit organization combating climate change. Environmental science also is important to her, giving her business meaning in two parts of her life.

“I donate five percent of all profits to the Union of Concerned Scientists to contribute to scientific advances in preserving the environment,” Bevacqua said. “I value the fact that I can use Sasha’s Macs as a platform to advocate for causes I care about as well as to pursue my passion for baking.”

In the past three years since its founding, Sasha’s Macs has managed to accumulate various achievements in the business world. In 2023 and 2024, the business pulled in roughly $2000 in profit. Last year, it also received the “Neighborhood Fave 2024” award through Nextdoor for local small businesses voted on by locals. Another one of Bevacqua’s achievements was becoming a finalist in the 2025 Contra Costa Shark Tank Youth Competition. Customer feedback has also been overwhelmingly positive.
“I believe it was the following weekend, right after I placed the order, that I received the macarons. It was very convenient getting the treats delivered to my door, and their shelf life was quite long. Although my family and I finished them almost immediately, I remember Sasha telling me that the macarons could be stored in the fridge for over a week,” senior Nicole Yeo said. “I can only hope that she continues to follow her passion for baking, and that I’ll somehow be able to convince her to make some more of her baked goods for me in the future.”

Getting to this point in the business’s history was no easy feat, as even being able to get the word out about the business proved to be extremely difficult when getting started. There was a moment of trial and error needed to find exactly which way would promote the bakery as quickly as possible.

“The most difficult part about starting Sasha’s Macs was figuring out how I would gain enough views and customers through posting and advertising online. It was a struggle to find advertising platforms that I could use in order to get the attention of local customers within my target audience of working parents,” Bevacqua said. “I started out by hanging up posters around my local neighborhood; however, that strategy did not allow me to gain as much interaction as I was hoping for. Now I use the social media platforms Nextdoor and Facebook, where I regularly post in order to allow customers to fill out their orders online.”

As for the future of Sasha’s Macs, it unfortunately will not be around for much longer, as Bevacqua is now a senior and will be unable to continue production once she goes to college.

“I plan to continue running Sasha’s Macs until next summer,” Bevacqua said. “I unfortunately won’t be able to continue to run the business once I am in college, but it has been a fun three years.”

Until that time comes, Lamorinda families are able to experience the homemade treats made by a Lamorindian for Lamorindians.  Her business can be found on Instagram at @sashas.macs.