A longtime fixture of San Diego’s dessert scene is entering a new era, as Babycakes founder Christopher Stavros has announced that he has sold the business he helped build nearly two decades ago. The change also marks the end of Babycakes’ current storefront in Hillcrest, the neighborhood where the locally grown brand first made its name.
Stavros announced the sale on social media this weekend, calling the news “bittersweet but beautiful” and reflecting on Babycakes’ roughly 20-year run. “I have officially sold the business,” Stavros wrote, thanking customers for allowing Babycakes to be part of birthdays, weddings and other celebrations over the years.
Babycakes traces its roots to Hillcrest, where Stavros and pastry chef Rafael Del Rio established the business during the late 2000s. The original Babycakes operated from a historic Craftsman house at 3766 Fifth Avenue, developing a following not only for its elaborate cupcakes and celebration cakes, but also as a restaurant, coffeehouse, bar and gathering place for San Diego’s LGBTQ+ community.
The original Hillcrest Babycakes became particularly well known for its lively Sunday “Church” parties, which transformed the bakery and bar into a neighborhood social destination. The business also hosted fundraisers and community events over the years and became closely associated with Hillcrest’s LGBTQ+ nightlife and Pride community.
In 2018, Babycakes closed its original Fifth Avenue location after approximately a decade and shifted its primary baking operations to a much larger production facility at 2315 Reo Drive in Paradise Hills. At the time, Stavros said the company had outgrown the Hillcrest kitchen and wanted to concentrate on its cakes, cupcakes, wholesale business and expanded delivery capabilities.
The departure from Hillcrest proved temporary. Babycakes returned to the neighborhood in late 2019, opening a smaller bakery storefront in the former Pinkberry space at 3795 Fourth Avenue, at the corner of Fourth and Robinson. Unlike the sprawling original restaurant and bar, the reincarnated Hillcrest location focused largely on the sweets that had launched the company, including signature cupcakes in flavors like blood orange, salted caramel, tres leches and chocolate raspberry, along with custom cakes and other desserts.
Babycakes eventually operated three San Diego County locations: the Hillcrest storefront, an Imperial Beach shop at 874 Seacoast Drive and its bakery and sales facility in Paradise Hills. The company’s website still lists all three locations and describes Babycakes as “San Diego’s Celebration Destination,” although some third-party listings have recently begun identifying the Hillcrest shop as closed.
Stavros did not publicly identify Babycakes’ buyer or provide details about what the new ownership has planned for the brand in his announcement. His statement instead largely served as a farewell to the customers and community that supported the business through its various incarnations.
The sale does not mean Stavros is retiring. He revealed that he is already developing an entirely new business expected to launch in 2027, describing the unnamed venture as a passion project that has been eight years in the making.
For Stavros, the announcement also closes a particularly significant chapter in Hillcrest. In his farewell, he specifically thanked the “CHURCH party family” for creating what he called an “epic celebration of community” that people continue to remember years later.
“Knowing that we created even one fond memory or brought a smile to your face over the last two decades makes every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears completely worth it,” Stavros wrote.
The precise future of the Babycakes name under its new ownership, including whether its Paradise Hills bakery and Imperial Beach location will continue operating in their current forms, has not yet been publicly detailed. The company’s website remained active as of this weekend and continued to advertise cupcakes, wedding cakes, birthday cakes and custom orders.
Stavros announced the sale on social media this weekend, calling the news “bittersweet but beautiful” and reflecting on Babycakes’ roughly 20-year run. “I have officially sold the business,” Stavros wrote, thanking customers for allowing Babycakes to be part of birthdays, weddings and other celebrations over the years.
Babycakes traces its roots to Hillcrest, where Stavros and pastry chef Rafael Del Rio established the business during the late 2000s. The original Babycakes operated from a historic Craftsman house at 3766 Fifth Avenue, developing a following not only for its elaborate cupcakes and celebration cakes, but also as a restaurant, coffeehouse, bar and gathering place for San Diego’s LGBTQ+ community.
The original Hillcrest Babycakes became particularly well known for its lively Sunday “Church” parties, which transformed the bakery and bar into a neighborhood social destination. The business also hosted fundraisers and community events over the years and became closely associated with Hillcrest’s LGBTQ+ nightlife and Pride community.
In 2018, Babycakes closed its original Fifth Avenue location after approximately a decade and shifted its primary baking operations to a much larger production facility at 2315 Reo Drive in Paradise Hills. At the time, Stavros said the company had outgrown the Hillcrest kitchen and wanted to concentrate on its cakes, cupcakes, wholesale business and expanded delivery capabilities.
The departure from Hillcrest proved temporary. Babycakes returned to the neighborhood in late 2019, opening a smaller bakery storefront in the former Pinkberry space at 3795 Fourth Avenue, at the corner of Fourth and Robinson. Unlike the sprawling original restaurant and bar, the reincarnated Hillcrest location focused largely on the sweets that had launched the company, including signature cupcakes in flavors like blood orange, salted caramel, tres leches and chocolate raspberry, along with custom cakes and other desserts.
Babycakes eventually operated three San Diego County locations: the Hillcrest storefront, an Imperial Beach shop at 874 Seacoast Drive and its bakery and sales facility in Paradise Hills. The company’s website still lists all three locations and describes Babycakes as “San Diego’s Celebration Destination,” although some third-party listings have recently begun identifying the Hillcrest shop as closed.
Stavros did not publicly identify Babycakes’ buyer or provide details about what the new ownership has planned for the brand in his announcement. His statement instead largely served as a farewell to the customers and community that supported the business through its various incarnations.
The sale does not mean Stavros is retiring. He revealed that he is already developing an entirely new business expected to launch in 2027, describing the unnamed venture as a passion project that has been eight years in the making.
For Stavros, the announcement also closes a particularly significant chapter in Hillcrest. In his farewell, he specifically thanked the “CHURCH party family” for creating what he called an “epic celebration of community” that people continue to remember years later.
“Knowing that we created even one fond memory or brought a smile to your face over the last two decades makes every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears completely worth it,” Stavros wrote.
The precise future of the Babycakes name under its new ownership, including whether its Paradise Hills bakery and Imperial Beach location will continue operating in their current forms, has not yet been publicly detailed. The company’s website remained active as of this weekend and continued to advertise cupcakes, wedding cakes, birthday cakes and custom orders.
Originally published on September 27, 2026.
