Bend’s bustling farmers markets are filled with delicious things, but lately a certain stall has been pulling crowds in with the scent of chocolate, cinnamon and something just a little bit magical. Sweet Yeli’s, the small-batch dessert company from local baker and entrepreneur Yelina Davis, has quickly become one of those spots people gravitate toward, even if they swore they were just coming for carrots and corn.
Davis, a former NFL cheerleader and lifelong dancer, has poured her energy into crafting desserts that are as indulgent as they are nourishing. Every cookie, brownie and bar is made without gluten, dairy or refined sugar, but you would never know it from the first bite. Her signature offerings include chewy chocolate chip cookies, banana bread muffins, maple pecan granola scented with cardamom and cinnamon, fudge brownies with a secret Cuban coffee kick, and a wildly decadent coconut caramel magic bar.
Sweet Yeli’s didn’t begin with polished packaging or big ambitions. Davis laughs when she recalls her first market. “My very first market barely had any customers and I barely made any money but I was over the moon,” she remembers. “I had so much fun and I had caught the bug.”
Those small pop-ups snowballed into bigger opportunities. Earlier this summer she took the plunge and committed to a weekly booth at the popular Northwest Crossing Farmers Market, a decision that connected her with a steady stream of locals and visitors. “I’ve just been seizing the opportunities as they’ve come along and learning so much along the way,” she smiles.
The enthusiasm goes both ways. Customers return week after week for her signature sweets, often surprised at how delicious dairy-free and gluten-free desserts can be. “People are super grateful to find something so rich and sweet without the guilt,” she notices.
Food has always been rejuvenating for Davis, long before she began selling her own creations. “The kitchen has always been my happy place,” she reflects. “I grew up watching Food Network and my heroes were people like Rachael Ray and Bobby Flay. When I was 9 years old my parents took me to the Food & Wine Festival to get my cookbooks signed by my favorite cooking stars.”
Her Miami upbringing and Cuban heritage shine through in subtle ways. “Growing up in Miami there were little Cuban restaurants and window shops everywhere offering sweets and little bites to go with matcha or coffee,” she recalls. “It was part of the culture and I would go there after school with my mom and dad, enjoy the sweet bites, and that’s the feel I wanted to create with Sweet Yeli’s.”
One of her earliest hits at the market was a guava cream bar, a nod to the Cuban flavors of her childhood. “Whenever I can get guava locally, I make them and they’re always a hit,” Davis says. Even her best-selling brownies carry a secret touch from home, boosted with a shot of Cuban coffee and a teaspoon of coffee grinds. “No one really knows that, but everyone loves my brownies,” she says with a grin.
Davis’s path to baking is anything but typical. She spent years as a professional dancer and NFL cheerleader, where nutrition was inseparable from performance. “I loved desserts and sweet things but I had to perform competitively and what I fed my body affected my performance in the studio and on stage,” she explains. “When I auditioned for the Miami Dolphins cheer squad, I had to tighten up my nutrition. I still wanted to be able to eat desserts but not feel sluggish and fuel my body with good stuff. I had to be conscious about what I was eating.”
That awareness ultimately shaped the foundation of Sweet Yeli’s. Her desserts are meant to be rich and indulgent while also fueling the body with clean, quality ingredients. They’re the kind of treats you can feel good about craving.
While her food is what draws people in, it’s the human connections that inspire Davis’s passion. “Starting the baking business has been a whirlwind in the best way possible and not at all what I was expecting,” she says. “I had always loved baking for family but I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy meeting and interacting with the community around food and the markets and other small business owners.”
The Sweet Yeli’s booth has become more than a place to buy a cookie. It’s a gathering space where stories and smiles are shared. “That’s where all the magic is, especially the joy of the customers and the returning customers,” Davis muses.
The road has not been without mishaps. Davis is quick to admit to her kitchen disasters. “There has been a lot of trial and error and a lot of disasters in the kitchen but I enjoy the process of perfecting my recipes,” she affirms. “I like the creative challenge of it.” And her customers like the end results.
Though still young as a business, Sweet Yeli’s has already carved out a place in Bend’s food landscape. With her Cuban-inspired twists, health-conscious ingredients and sunny enthusiasm, Davis has created something that resonates far beyond her stall. Her journey from dancer to baker, from one-off markets to farmers market fixture, reflects a willingness to take risks, learn and lead with joy. For her customers, the reward is simple: a cookie, a brownie or a bar that satisfies the soul as much as the sweet tooth.
For Davis, it’s about much more than dessert. “I truly want to bring people joy and I love being out there!”
Sweet Yeli’s
Instagram: @sweet.yelis
305-793-5176
This article appears in the Source September 18, 2025.
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