More people who say they were victims emerged Wednesday in the case of a Gwinnett County bakery that took orders and money for wedding cakes but allegedly failed to deliver before going out of business.
Toye Akinsanya told Channel 2 Action News that he and his wife Bridget ordered two cakes for a niece's wedding from Celso's Cakes in Norcross, paying the bakery $2,000 10 days before the event.
But the day of the wedding, “when we got to the reception, the cake wasn’t there,” Akinsanya said. The wedding was Aug. 25, one day after Celso’s closed.
Bridget Akinsanya said that Celso’s owner, Celso Rodriguez, “should have contacted, he should have called us, let us know, so we can find an alternative for the wedding.”
The wedding party had to scramble to find replacement cakes. The Akinsanyas have filed suit against Celso’s in Gwinnett County court, seeking to get their money back.
Another alleged victim of the bakery, Jana Sutherland, said in an email to Channel 2, “I am out $483 … I found out 10 days before my wedding that I was not going to have a cake. I managed to find another bakery that took my order, so I was OK. But I want my money back from Celso’s.”
A third alleged victim, Michelly Gonzales, previously told Channel 2 that she fears she may be out the $450 she prepaid for a cake for her wedding in February. “We’re on a budget. We exceeded our budget as it is. It’s going to be tough,” she said.
Gonzales said that when she learned Celso’s Cakes apparently had gone out of business, “I was stunned. My mouth dropped.” The woman said she started checking blogs and learned at least 15 other future brides are cakeless.
When Channel 2 went to the bakery earlier this week, it found the store locked, dark and empty. The store’s telephone voice mail box was full. And a person at an address believed to be Rodriguez’ home in Lawrenceville said he did not live there.
On Wednesday, Gonzales told Channel 2 that Rodriguez had contacted her and said he was still willing to make her cake. Renewed efforts by the TV station to contact the baker were unsuccessful.
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