Love is Main Ingredient at Sweet Chatchaya Bakery in Horicon

Had Chatchaya Pagelsdorf never moved to America, she may never have realized her true passion for baking.
Chatchaya grew up on a family farm in Udon Thani, near the border of Laos, in Thailand, with her mother, father, and older sister.
Her family grew various fruits and vegetables, jasmine rice, and cared for some animals, but shared they don’t do as much since her dad passed away.
She left the farm to attend college and begin working until she traveled to Bangkok to attend the university there. Chatchaya graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
From Bangkok, she went to Japan where she worked for three years before returning to Thailand where she worked for several more years.

It was during her time back in Thailand in 2016 that a friend convinced Chatchaya to create an online dating profile on OKCupid. It was through the dating website that Chatchaya met Ash, her husband.
After four months of getting to know each other, Ash asked Chatchaya on a date that would require him to get a passport and travel to Thailand to meet her for the first time. The couple spent the month of February together in 2017 traveling the country and meeting Chatchaya’s family, friends, and co-workers.
“It was an amazing wake-up for me coming from the U.S. to a complete Asian tourist country,” recalled Ash. “It had so many people there from all over the world. In a mall, you could hear maybe 15-20 languages being spoken at once.”
Ash and Chatchaya got engaged when Ash returned to Thailand in November 2017 with a ring. Most of the couple’s engagement would be spent apart as Chatchaya did not receive a K1-Visa to travel to the U.S. until March 2019.
“We had to get married in 90 days and were looking for something simple yet a bit fancy,” said Ash, once Chatchaya arrived. “The Open Door Coffeehouse in Mayville is a wonderful non-profit that has women’s groups and other events and meetings. I saw that people could rent the place and asked them if we could have our wedding here - they said sure!” This was fitting for the couple as Chatchaya loves espresso and they enjoy checking out different coffee shops.
Ash added, “This is where we also met Amanda from Bo’s Heavenly Clubhouse, another loving non-profit group helping the community.”
“I met Ash and Chatchaya on the day of their wedding when they got married at the Open Door Coffeehouse in Mayville. I just happened to be walking in for a coffee that day. Little did I know that I would be attending the wedding of who I would consider very dear friends of mine later in life,” said Amanda Hartwig, President of Bo’s Heavenly Clubhouse. “Years down the road, It has been such a blessing to be able to call on them and have this beautiful friendship between all of us! We are so grateful to be able to have such awesome friends. Chatchaya is so very gifted and dedicated to making a difference in her community. Ash is a phenomenal support to his beautiful wife, making all of her dreams come true, even down to the little details within the shop! I’m so proud of both of them and I’m so grateful to have them in our lives!”
Following the wedding, Chatchaya had to wait nine months to receive a social security number, meaning she could not work. She took the time to adjust to her new life, a new city, and new people.
Chatchaya had few worries regarding her move to a new country, noting being unable to work as one of her biggest concerns.
“I am never homesick because I talk all the time to my family on Facebook,” said Chatchaya. She also says there are many Thai people here, and Thai food is easy to find. She also has Ash to go to whenever she needs him.
Chatchaya surprisingly prefers the cold weather, too, as Thailand is hot.
It was during this adjustment period that Chatchaya became interested in baking. She had never baked or used an oven before coming to the U.S., as it wasn’t common in her country, and was eager to try after watching Ash cook and bake at home.
“The first time, I made a cake in the rice cooker,” said Chatchaya.
From there she began watching YouTube videos and following along to learn more about baking. She also got assistance and tools from Ash and his mother.
Chatchaya started out sharing her creations with Ash and family and then co-workers and friends to see what they thought.
“She started to make her style desserts and experimenting with American style. She started making cookies and cupcakes,” explained Ash. “Her style is from scratch, no box mixes, and Thailand and Japan flavors - flavors from fruit, not too artificial.”
“Normally, I like to make cupcakes or cakes, but macarons I didn’t like before because I thought it was too much work,” shared Chatchaya. “Now, it is my favorite thing. It’s easy for me.”
Light, fruity, not too sweet, and creamy are some of the elements that Chatchaya says she incorporates into her desserts from Asia.
After building her confidence baking for those close to her, Chatchaya earned the opportunity to share her treats with more people at the Horicon Farmers Market.
“Two years ago, Ash approached me about having Chatchaya sell her baked goods at the market. I met Ash about five years prior, so I knew who they were and said yes without hesitation because of the unique offering she had with her macarons,” said Liz Darner, an organizer of the market. “They attend the market every Wednesday, May through October. This kind of consistency is one of the keys to a vendor’s success. They deserve all the credit - they work so hard, they are personable, and they have such wonderful offerings with new items often.”
“The love the community showed her and continues to show her is amazing. I am so proud of what she has accomplished,” said Ash. “Her reach continues to shock me when she finds out how far people travel for her.”
Capitalizing on the success at the farmers market, Chatchaya eventually took up baking full-time and opened her brick-and-mortar bakery, Sweet Chatchaya, in downtown Horicon at the end of January 2025.
She continues to offer a variety of macarons, cakes, and cupcakes, in addition to muffins, cinnamon rolls and more made from scratch. She is also making specialty drinks to be enjoyed with her baked goods, which fulfills the desire she had in Bangkok to open her own coffee shop.
“People are really loving her style and now she has begun to include authentic Thai food for lunch and soon some Japan-style food in our to-go case,” Ash shared. “Her authentic Thai flavors and heat put a bit of shock out there where people say it has a kick to it, but it is so good.”
“I want to say thank you to all the citizens of Dodge County and the surrounding area for supporting me on this bakery journey,” says Chatchaya. “I look forward to my bakery shop becoming a staple location for many people’s events.”
To satisfy that sweet tooth, visit Sweet Chatchaya, located at 311 E Lake Street, Horicon, or you can order online at sweetchatchaya.com. Chatchaya and Ash can also be contacted by phone at 920-318-2771 or by email at letsbake@sweetchatchaya.com.