BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — The owners of new bakery Wish Upon a Pastry took a leap of faith when they quit their day jobs as professional chefs and decided to create their own cookie business in 2019.

Now they are launching their first storefront, Wish Upon a Pastry — the name inspired by their mutual love of Disney. Opening weekend will take place in Midland Park on Saturday, Dec. 11 and Sunday, Dec. 12 at 26 Goffle Road.

Owners and married couple Torre Liebchen and Michelle Micek said they decided to quit their jobs working in a restaurant because of the brutally long hours.

"Basically, we were just working such long hours at the restaurant," Liebchen said. "Michelle was there for 10 years, I was there for five. And it just became a point in life where we're like 'we're getting married next year, so we just want a better quality of life for any future family.'"

Micek added that she felt like there was no growth at their last position.

"I had climbed to the top of the ladder and plateaued a few years in and then there was nowhere else to go, and it was like chasing your tail," Micek said.

But while they were still working at the restaurant in 2019, the couple formed Wish Upon a Cookie as a side gig, mainly for friends and family. Then during the pandemic, after the two had ditched their restaurant jobs, they started leaving free cookie boxes to kids who were having driveway birthdays in their neighborhood when they couldn't have indoor parties.

One of their neighbors posted the cookies on a local town group, and Micek said business started to grow from there with more and more people asking for cookie boxes.

Liebchen said they never expected the company to become so successful.

"We didn't think in less than three years we would actually be sitting in a storefront, waiting to open on Saturday," Liebchen.

Now, the chefs are expanding beyond cookies with Wish Upon a Pastry and offering everything from French macaroons to cinnamon buns and cocoa bombs. They also said everything is customizable, which is something that makes their store unique.

"We can make our own cookie cutters here because we have a 3-D printer," Liebchen said. "So any shape or character or logo can be handmade."

During the pandemic, Micek said they once created DIY cookie kits for a girl's Zoom birthday party where the kids were able to design cookies shaped like cats with mermaid tails.

But the creativity does not end there. Micek and Liebchen also make their own candles, which they will be selling at the new store. Micek explained that the candle line is based on their love of Disney and they will be selling four scents that are meant to remind people of Disney World.

This includes a dole whip candle, which is one of Disney's most popular treats, as well as chocolate and vanilla scented candle reminiscent of Mickey bars.

At the opening this weekend, there will be a raffle to give away some gift certificates and a free tasting of different treats.

The store will be all take-out for retail purchases and picking up custom orders.

Normal hours are as follows:

To read more about their origin story and view all the available treats, check out Wish Upon A Patry's website.