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It's methodical, scientific, and she knew if she followed the steps meticulously, she'd get exactly the product she wanted.
Baking proved to be imperative to the 36-year-old New Milford after she graduated from Fordham Business School, and began working in the corporate world in 2009.
"I felt like my soul was dying," Kontomanolis said. "I was feeling like I wasn't living up to my full potential because I wasn't getting pleasure out of selling insurance or writing up leases."
In 2015, she quit her corporate gig at the urging of friends and family to do what she loves: Bake.
That's when Cream Bakery was born. And while Kontomanolis has only ever offered online orders and made wholesale products, she'll be opening her first-ever brick and mortar store in River Vale, with help from the same friends and family members, later this month.
A good education was always important to Kontomanolis' parents. Her grandparents immigrated to Queens, NY from Greece and worked dishwashing jobs.
And so, they pushed her parents to do more with their lives, and likewise for Kontomanolis and her brother, Michael.
School came easily to Kontomanolis, who has fond memories of her time at New Milford High School (Class of 2005). She cruised through business classes at Fordham, and felt school was actually her strong suit.
But the passion Kontomanolis had for school wasn't translating to the corporate world.
"There was nothing bad about the job," she said. "The people were great but I felt like I was losing myself and my personality completely.
She'd spend hours at the office doing the same things every day, exhausted by the time she got home with only a couple of hours to "be Despina."
To counter that, she baked.
Not only did she love doing it, but her friends and family loved what she made. It became a side gig.
In 2014, Kontomanolis made a cake for her best friend's 150-person wedding.
"I remember standing at the wedding and everyone had a slice of cake," she said. "Usually people just move the cake around on their plate, but mine was actually being eaten. I felt like a pro."
It wasn't overly-sweet or process. It was made with all-real ingredients — like true vanilla, not extract — and according to Kontomanolis, that makes the difference for all of her goods.
That's when Kontomanolis' brother suggested doing something with her side gig. He would handle the website and everything required on the back-end of business, and all she had to do was bake.
The move meant quitting her job. But to Kontomanolis, it was worth it.
"I found baking to be something I really enjoyed," she said. "I made a choice to take a risk, a huge pay cut, and to focus on my happiness rather than security."
Kontomanolis brought Cream Bakery to life as a wholesale business. She began with small treats that were sold at Roast'd Coffee — formerly the Koffee Wagon — in Hasbrouck Heights, and their other cafes.
By then, her husband Alex Perez had joined the team. And soon, she began selling her products online for shipment.
Little by little, Kontomanolis' business grew — and her confidence followed suit.
"It was evolving in a way I didn't set out for," the baker said.
Things took a temporary pause in March 2020. But by that May, Kontomanolis was back in a commercial kitchen. And that's when things really picked up.
"Taking the jump to purchase retail space in Bergen County was always daunting," Perez said. "It's expensive, but became more realistic after COVID."
They kept their eyes out for a space that would work, and eventually found one in River Vale.
They signed the lease in May 2022 while Kontomanolis built up the wholesale side of things, and worked on getting a team together.
"It's really fulfilling to build something with our family and friends, and we feel like we're doing something represents us," added her husband, Perez, who grew up in New Milford.
Their friends with regular 9-5 jobs are all contributing in small ways. One will be doing the artwork in the store, and another HVAC work.
"All these people we grew up with are helping," Perez said. "It's cool because it's ours."
Cream Bakery is set to open later this month at 669-G Westwood Ave., in River Vale.
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