Episode 20 - Chef Sugar - Founder of Sugarland Bakery

In this deliciously inspiring episode of The Realtor Who Whines, Rashelle sits down over a glass of Hawkins Cellars wine with Chef Sugar, the creative force behind Sugar Land in Oregon. From surviving Hodgkin’s lymphoma to graduating from culinary school and building a thriving custom dessert business, Chef Sugar shares her journey of resilience, creativity, and flavor innovation.

They cover everything from bourbon caramel and sweet potato pie to savory-sweet cheesecakes and daring flavor mashups like chocolate cake with electric filling, caramel, and toffee, or a Waldorf cheesecake infused with garlic and pear. Chef Sugar explains her fully custom process from flavor brainstorming to design and how she balances artistry with business strategy.

Listeners will pick up valuable entrepreneurial lessons: knowing when to say “no” to a client, charging what you’re worth, keeping overhead low, supporting other local businesses, and never sacrificing quality (even when ingredient prices spike). She talks about working out of a sterile kitchen, collaborating with other chefs, using edible flowers, and even creating vegan, gluten-free versions of classically dairy-heavy desserts like tiramisu.

From managing large-scale orders with a two-calendar system, to taking time off without a storefront, to growing her business 40% through networking, Chef Sugar proves that success is as much about relationships and strategy as it is about skill. She also teases her upcoming dessert membership program designed for small businesses and event planners, and shares how locals and out-of-state customers can order from her.

If you’re hungry for inspiration (and maybe a little cake), this episode serves up decadent layers of business wisdom, mouthwatering stories, and genuine connection.

Thank you for listening! Connect and collaborate with Realtor Rashelle on any of her social media platform pages > https://linktr.ee/RealtorRashelle

Transcript

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Welcome to the Realtor Who Wines podcast. I'm Rashelle Newmeyer, your hostess with the most as a student of life, a connector, a passionate wine enthusiast, and your local favorite guide. Join me as we explore the vibrant Pacific Northwest. Savor the finest wines and champion the spirit of entrepreneurship. Each episode, I'll sit down with inspiring guests, supporting business ownership and uncovering the stories that make this community unique. So grab a glass of wine, settle in, and let's embark on a journey of discovery and connection together. Cheers. Hi everyone. Welcome back to the realtor who whines. I'm Rochelle, your realtor who whines. Today I have Chef Sugar with me and I'm super excited to dig into all the delicious things that she makes and her entrepreneurial journey. But first I'd like to say cheers. Thanks for being here. Thank you. Oh. So good. We are drinking. Hawkins. Sara, today, if you haven't been to Hawkins, it's actually in Washington. Don't come for me, Oregon, but it's just across the river from hood River and, Underwood, Washington. And they have a really great tasting room there. Lots of good reds. They also, of course, have a couple of whites, but it's delicious. And I love it. So, chef, will you introduce yourself to everybody? Hello, I am Chef Sugar, and I own, sugar Land here in Oregon. I am a custom pastry chef and innovative dessert solution host. Oh, my gosh, you are innovative for sure. Will you talk a little bit about your journey and how you became a pastry chef? Sure. Actually, it's 11 years now. I had Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is a form of cancer. And so what I was doing before was kind of like late night corporate type things. And so I had to change, my life and my lifestyle. And so I've always wanted to be a pastry chef. So I figured this time at Second Chance, I just go for it. Yeah. And go to culinary school. So I, probably not the best decision, but why not? Right after I finish cancer treatment, I went straight into culinary school, so I went to, OCI, which is Oregon Culinary Institute, and, it was it was a bit of a struggle, but, I had really good classmates that kind of cheered me on or helped me out. Where? Days where I wasn't quite feeling well, and, graduated. Yeah. That's amazing. Yeah. To the help. I know that you said it was a struggle, but did it also help give you something else to focus on, too? Yes. So, you know, days, there's kind of days where you just you don't know why you don't feel well. You just don't feel well. But, those days, like, really, it helped me focus more on getting school done and doing the things I love, like baking actually keeps my stress level down. Oh, for sure. So it's like a great career. Yeah. And then what made you want to be like more innovative and try like different types of recipes or pairing different flavors together. So the school that I went to, they, they always make you all the way around. So they had its own restaurant. So we had to learn, you know, the restaurant piece of it and get the actual field working, you know, in back of house. But also, they trained us based on the things that we wanted to learn. So, we had to learn mathematically how to do our recipes, but also learn how to function in a restaurant and as well as create your own recipes. So we had to create our own menus, create our own recipes, decide how we were going to make these flavors work, or figure out what went wrong. So, as I got further into working in the industry, I noticed that my creativity was kind of stifled. Just not because, you know, you couldn't, but, you know, you're in their space, so you're going to do what they want you to do. And as time went on, I just noticed that that isn't really what I wanted to do. And I also wanted to spend more time with my son. So, I started to venture out on my own, and ever since then, it's just been a blast because now I write my own recipes and they're so good. I write them for other people. And just taking them through that journey of what actual custom means. Yeah. Well, and you also customize based on like diet needs or allergies and things like that too. Yeah. So the most important thing is and my sister always says you've got to explain it correctly okay. So this case of questioning this is yeah okay. So you're listening. This is for her. So what that means is that we actually sit down and have a very nice conversation talking about what it is you need from start to finish. So it's not just about the design, it's it's about from the beginning. Like what are you envisioning as you want to have? What kind of textures do you want to have? Do you want a little crunch? Do you want it to be smooth? Do you want all of them? How do you want what do you want to taste like on the back end when you're done with it? Like you want to get that first flavor that pops, but then at the end, you want to have some kind of sweet finished tower finish, you know, dry finish. And those are things that we talk about. Talk about those flavors that you like. And then we start off, do you want that in a cake? Do you want that in a custard. Do you want that to do this. So it starts there before we even get to the design. I love that. And do you do mostly I know this answer but I know the listeners know maybe you do like just wedding cake. Birthday cakes. I talk about the variety of things that you do. We, I do just about everything. But I will say and she's going to appreciate this, I'm going to send this shout out to she, Nelson, she utilizes me in the most proper way. She will call me up and give me the most random things that she needs. Yeah. Anything from a pretzel croissant down to a half lemon, half chocolate cake? No, those are what? I just go. Okay. And we make that happen, and then she'll tell me later about what kind of design she needs. But she needs cinnamon rolls. She needs, lemon butter cookies or Swedish butter cookies. She will throw anything and everything at me but the kitchen sink. I love that. Now you're going to get a phone call that says I need a kitchen. Kitchen sink that tastes like chocolate. Yes. And covered in raspberry. Yes. Perfect. What is one of your favorite things to make like out of all the different desserts? I believe it or not, is is the broad scope of what I make. I really enjoy simple things, so I really enjoy cheesecakes. I really enjoy manipulating the flavors. I love the lines of sweet and savory and I know you've had those before. Well, I start where I start crossing those lines. Because not everybody wants a sweet treat. But you do want like a some sweet to it. But then you, some people like a little bit more on the salty kind of acidic side. I'm want along more that too. So I love cheesecake is a great way to manipulate that. Yeah. And you use bourbon and things I, I love, love bourbon. It makes great flavors for all kinds of things. Caramel being one bourbon caramel. It's got pecans and sweet potato pie. That's a good one, too. What are some things that you've learned having your own business over the last few years? Like what are some, like life lessons that you've learned doing this? Oh, lots. Yeah. Let's talk about just not overextending yourself. You know, you know, you want to make that, you know, initial. I don't want to say sale, but you want to do you want to gain that client. And sometimes you have to remember maybe that's not the right client. Sometimes it's just, you know, that's a little out of my area. Or maybe we're just not a fit. Yeah. For sure. Because you do want to take that on because you want to make the money, but at the same time, you got to relax and just know that, life is going to go the way it's supposed to go when you don't want to be that person that turns away business. Exactly. I run into that, too, as a real estate agent, but it's the same exact thing. Not every client is right, for not every area is my specialty or whatever. But then you don't want to be the realtor. That's like, no, I'm not going to sell your house. You know? That would make no sense. So it's the same thing. But you do have to like, check. Like, am I doing a disservice by taking this job? And that's what normally makes me feel better about like, you know, this isn't actually my area of expertise. Let me recommend so-and-so and they'll take good care of you. Yeah. And then also remembering that you're worth to, you know. Yeah. I do have the, you know, I do have the right or the permission to charge what I should charge for this thing. And this is why. Because every day, I spent $16,000 to go to school. And that helped me to make the skill to be able to do what you need me to do in a timely manner. Well, not only that, but like, just the cost of the materials that you need to make this, I'm sure, like with the egg shortage and being a pastry chef, that was probably very hard for you, things like that. And then you have to adjust your prices accordingly. Yeah, I just it but I never sacrifice the quality. I'd rather adjust the price than to say, okay, well we're just going to do this eggless or, you know, something along that line or we have to use a different kind of butter. That doesn't happen on my scope. Just because I want people to still get what they're, you know, what they're paying for. But you are correct. Like, is you have to charge what and also have to charge what you, what you're worth and what that time is worth to you and the product that they're getting. Yeah. Well, and a lot of times you'll deliver them items to or set them up and stuff and that's over time and money and time and money and that. And I do have a little bit of a, you know, control freak thing because, you know, I, I want people to have it the way that I finished it. Sure. So sometimes when you give it to them and then they go drive, like, you know, their regular Sunday driver and the cake goes splat, and then guess who? Yeah. Oh, when I got it, the, you know, the dessert like this. And I was like, that's not how I handed it to you, you know? So I, I do enjoy delivering. I do enjoy meeting with my clients and giving them that personal service. I think, a lot of us kind of lose that in the scope of what we do is not giving people that that experience. Yeah, absolutely. Well, and just putting like the client first and like showing them like you mean a lot to me. And I want the presentation to be what it's supposed to be versus saving time, driving it out to you or whatever. I love that. What are some other like things that you would have learned along the way, that you would then give advice to somebody if they told you like, hey, I think I want to be a pastry chef, I'm going to school starting tomorrow. Like what's some advice you do? The most important thing I would say is take your time. Make sure that you understand your baking, that you understand your course. Also I would also recommend getting like a recipe cluster. They have those now in apps but but also don't stick to one thing. Oh sure. You know, I learned that is being, you know, be simple, but you want to be able to be flexible to like, I and I would say that most I wouldn't say almost money is good money. Like I don't turn someone away because they only have two people. I will make it work for two people. Oh I love that. Yeah. What about what it takes like licensing or like what your kitchen has to look like and things like that to me. So I am a business that supports other businesses. So I bake out of a sterile kitchen Mr. Bean or it might be on the, on there thing is Mr. Kitchen but it's Mr. Biden. And Taggert so I will back out of there, especially when I have a lot larger ones out of a sterile kitchen. I also buy other components from other bakers. So some people do specialize in certain things. Like, even though I know I can make it, it's better to support another business that specializes in it. Well, and, probably saves you time. Yeah. And get. I get those bits and pieces, but, I'm never too I would say maintain your, your humility so that you're able to do that. Don't do it. It's really good for your business to be able to support another one at the same time. Yeah. So and another one I just partnered with, the Jeffrey Allen Gallery. I now do, my wedding tastings there. Oh, nice. Yeah. Beautiful, beautiful venue. But, you know, like I said, businesses for other business you will grow. Yeah. For sure. And then is there any other kind of licensing or something that people might be surprised to hear? There is not a lot, but you you do need a business license. You do need a license in the city, that you're doing business in. You also need either your food handler's card or a serve safe. I would recommend a serve sake because it really gives in depth, what you need to do in your kitchen and, like, learning about foodborne illnesses and things, you know, where you should put things and how they should go and what really causes cross-contamination and how to keep things sterile and clean. And that's really important. And I'm a real stickler for those kind of things. Yeah. And when you were first starting out, now you're very much like word of mouth referral. A lot of people know you. I mean, you do a lot of networking too, but a lot of times people are like, oh, you got to meet my girl, Chef Sugar. She can hook you up with a birthday cake. But when you are very first starting out, how were you getting new clients? You're getting out there in front of people. I started out doing a few things on, on social media. And it did work for a little while. Like I would say, at this point, 90% of my business is a lot of social media. But you really have to go out and make connections with people like you. And not only that, but be genuine about it. I don't want to say authentic, but genuine. Like, you really have to like what you do to express that to the other person and try to understand what it is that they're asking you to do or what they need by listening. Yeah. And then do you use social media now to, to get clients as well. I do. So I use those platforms. I would say now my biggest one is Facebook, believe it or not. My second is now Instagram. I do use my website and that is I would say keep that as simple as possible. Don't go out there and get like some mega thing because it's not it's not a floodgate. It's just another avenue. Like it's a place where I can put my pictures and things like that. For people to check out stuff. Right, so they can see a grand scope of things, like you can see a menu that's like guidelines for me at this point, but, you know, but like, I have a, which is a really good feature. I have a chat on there that goes straight to my phone. So it's like we're communicating, just like if I were communicate you straight from my phone in a text. That's awesome. Yeah. And have you ever thought about or was it ever a goal to have a storefront or did you always want to do like what you're doing now, like specialty orders and like, yeah, I've always wanted to do what I do right now, and I don't want to plug too. Oh, because I do like In-N-Out burgers. But that's kind of how I got the idea is that they really keep things simple. Yeah, the same menu, the same everything for years, and they're always lined up and backed. And so I wanted to stay in a simple type thing where my overhead wasn't crazy or I wasn't throwing things away. Where I can make things fresh. So most people don't get anything from me that is over at least three days. Right. You know, and that's just because it's a process, not because it's been sitting there for three days, just because it literally takes those three components to get done. But yeah, keeping that really simple, I love that I don't have that kind of overhead. And I have to worry about what am I going to do with this piece or who's who. Can I, you know, how do I sell this off? Like, yeah, once the project's done, it's done. Yeah. Well, and so with that being said, with scheduling and stuff, when you're taking orders, are you also like, how are you managing your calendar? Like, oh, this cake will take this much time. The this cheesecake will take this much time, this cake cupcakes. And then how do you manage your calendar to make sure you're not overextended. Right. So I a recent I have two types of calendars. So I have a two dry erase boards that I use. And one of them is my to do list. The other one is my calendar. So I will take a look at that first calendar of like what is actually out there right now. And so if it's a cake that's going to take me 2 or 3 days, then it's going to get put somewhere else, and then I have my to do list of, okay, who's getting who can get done. Right now, there's not really much that I can't take on because I am capable of doing like 650 people type job by myself. It's just a matter of timing it. Right. Like these components get done this day. So like they for instance, it's all feelings. I'll spend the day doing all the fillings that day. So those are all done ready to go and in insert and then cake is usually the last thing I'll do because I want that to be fresh. But like the buttercream will get made. And so that so that's how I kind of manage my time just a little bit. Right. So those components are all done before I make the cake. And then when it's cake day then all the components are ready to go nice. And then when you go on vacation and stuff you, that's the nice thing about not having a storefront, is that you can plan to take your little on on vacation and things like that, and then same with your schedule. Absolutely. So it's like whatever is on my schedule, I plan that around it. Or if somebody needs something before it is, either you get it before or you get it when I get back or, you know, like, I'll, I'll, like I said, supporting another business. I'll send it to someone that I trust that they say, hey, I got this. Do you want to you want to take it? Yeah, yeah. And all of your time of doing like different recipes and combining different flavors. What have been some combined flavors that, like, kind of surprised you at how well they came together? So this last one that I did, it was for their like Chocolate Dough trilogy and then like toffee. And so it's like, I could do that. I could do that. Yeah. So we did chocolate cake with doTERRA, electric filling with some caramel, and then the toffee I just made and then tacked it on to as part of the decoration. So when you eat it, you're getting all of that. And then that last piece of toffee on top with like some nuts. Yeah, yeah. So I really, really enjoyed putting that one together. Yeah. And then the I for inspire I made that Waldorf cheesecake. Yeah. The one that had like it had like a little bit of garlic. It had pear like was just mainly like a thing of a Waldo salad but a dessert. Yeah. It was so good. That's what I love about your savory desserts is that actually it tastes like. And make you feel like in order of, like, it doesn't feel like a dessert because it's so savory. But then, yeah, it does have that sweetness to it that I love. You mentioned inspire and that's, a national conference that we both parties to the pay and through the Women to Women network. How has networking helped you throughout your business? Networking has caused my business to grow about 40%. But mainly because I learned, I got to learn and to grow. So just the, what I want to say networking is not about like hard sell with people as we know it is what people. Yeah. Yeah. But it really was about, you know, making connections and learning and, and. Growing, you know, even as a person, like we did, sometimes we sit down and we talk about things that don't even pertain to business. Great. But it does, you know. Yeah. Just like the work life balance, the mom stuff, women stuff. Perimenopause has been a hot topic around our group lately. Or menopause. But, yeah, it's just nice to connect on multiple levels and not just like business focus all the time, but the pleasure of getting to know everybody. Like some of these women are now like my friends. Oh, for sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now like my friends and yeah. And it's like way beyond just doing business. But at the same time, because we know each other so well, we're confident in that referral. Absolutely. And that's really important. It's like, you know, if you hand this or if I hand this off to you, I know you're good. I know it's going to be fine for you to go and sell the house like I don't. I could turn my back and go, yeah, we're going that way about. Yeah, yeah. Well, and it's opened up. I know you've collaborated with other people in the group too. Like, you did that Thanksgiving bundle with another chef in our group that focuses on. She does more like meal prep, like, so she did like the turkey and the stuffing and all that stuff. And you came in with the desserts and it was like a combo pack. And I just thought that was so cool. Yeah. That was a lot of fun. We we do several things together. It's just me, even outside of that. And, working with chef Mia, training chef me, and she really is. I really enjoy her farm to table strategy. I enjoy that, too. Like, I, I will actually go outside and find things, you know, especially like edible flowers and things that just grow naturally around here. And I will use it. We were just in Disneyworld, and, they have a ride where it's called Living Through the Land, and Disney is explaining how they grow their own food, but they had a whole edible flower section and rylan's mine was like blown. She was like, wait, I can eat flowers? And I was like, whoa, whoa, whoa whoa whoa. Like, let's not just go for a walk and start eating all the things you see. But yes, there are edible flowers and stuff, which is so cool because it just adds like such a different layer and texture to, like, any dessert you're making. Oh yeah. And none of them have really good flavors, like a lot of them have like these different sculpts, like there's ones that have lime flavors to them. Just like you can use strawberry flowers. Most people don't give those up because they want them to grow into strawberries. But yeah, those types of things that you can use that just add these nice little touches. Are really good. What is been like a very unusual request that somebody is giving you before usual or just like the one I just did try for you, just try to picture, a gluten free dairy free tiramisu, okay. And you accomplish that and you're getting reviews back. Yes. She loved. She loved every minute of it. But could you imagine? No, because tiramisu is completely a dairy product. Like all of it is. So what? How did you accomplish that? Like were you did you research or try it, or did you already have some ideas on how to? I had some ideas on that. And I have, you know, I have a pretty good scope of like what I have and what components I can use and what I can change. Like for instance, mascarpone is is a cream cheese, but it's just a different type of cream cheese. So it's like, okay, well then you know, you got to run kind of to run down the vegan scope and go, okay, maybe you go and get a vegan cream cheese or you know, something along that line. Sponge cake is made with meringue. So, now you use something different, which most people don't know, but you can use, chickpea. Oh, really? I would have never thought to use that. Interesting. And that doesn't secret hack. You're welcome. Lester, you you heard it here first. Yes. Let's change your life. Well, chickpea was change your life when you come to. When it comes to vegan, everything the interesting. Yeah. And it's not like a hidden thing, but, you know, most people wouldn't think that they might do it. But yeah, those are the ideas that you got to kind of go outside. Where outside your box and go, okay, what can do what I wanted to do. And then I can still flavor and make it, you know, make that a component that works, right? Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I think in case you don't know, there's plant based whipping cream. Now, I did not know that. Yeah. Plant based whipping cream. And, you know, just running down things that you can that don't necessarily have too much dairy that you can use like a replacement. Interesting. Yes. But yeah, it came out just fine. I guess. That's amazing. What is next on the horizon for Chef Sugar? I am currently getting ready to launch my memberships. Memberships will be for, you know, anybody who wants one of course, but, mostly for, you know, like small businesses or, you know, businesses that need certain things. So I have, you know, I have a breakfast menu or I have a dessert solution menu, but it will keep you in the scope of not having to worry about having to come up with things to get so like, oh my gosh, I need desserts for 30 people. You only need to give me a phone call, because now you have a membership and it goes all the way up to that 40 people. Just oh, I need chocolate mousse for 40 people on Friday. It's part of your membership. I make it for you. Show up. You're done. Good to go. You don't have to price it out. You don't have to go. Well how much is that going to be. Or if I do it this way you know what I mean. It's just I will put the items are in there that you can choose from. And they're pretty. They're not standard, but they're just, you know, they're there and then, you know, anything beyond custom, like, you know, that gets real technical. Then I have to charge a little bit more. But yeah, I think you know me better than that. I will make it fair. Yeah. On that. Yeah. In that membership. And how so someone gets that membership. How many times can they order from you a month? Or is it like once a month or once a week or what is, it would be about three times. Oh yeah, three times per month. If you didn't use it that month, you can carry it over. I'm pretty flexible. Yeah, but. Yeah. Yeah, you're always very kind of there. With that being said, how can of not all of our listeners are local. If someone wanted to order something from you do ship out of state. I do ship out of state. It just depends on what it is, because I do use things that are fresh and preservative. And then not to mention, I haven't really seen a travel service that can keep it intact. Right. You know, so there are things that travel well, like cookies will travel well, cupcakes, if you're wanting to decorate it yourself, like, I'm willing to send the components some code and you can just, you know, I'll send it with a tip and things like that. But there are certain things that won't, you know, that they just toss it about, sorry, posters. It just gets. Yeah, well, they don't know. And they're having so many things. Yeah. I mean, they got a lot to do and a lot to carry. They don't need to be worrying about. Yeah, I don't, you know, don't mess this cake. The delicate cupcakes. But yeah the things that do travel well I am more than willing to send out. Yeah. Cool. And how do local people get in touch with you? You mentioned the website and social media. Those are the best way. This way. Sugar land taste.com. Like I said on that chat, it comes directly to me. So it's just as if we're chit chatting on the phone. My email is, chef Sugar at Sugar Land. Com you can find me on Instagram and Chef Sugar 17 and then Sugar Land Bakery is on Facebook. And how far notice do people need to give you if they wanted to order like a birthday cake or something? I require at least a week in advance. That's like nothing. Yeah, well, like I said, I'm yeah, fast, but you're going to pay me for it. Yeah, I share, but like, on average what's like a good time. Like a couple weeks. Two weeks. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Nice. Yeah. Well thank you so much for sharing all your tasty goodness with us. Now I'm really hungry and my birthday is next week, so I need to put in an order with you before you leave. You got it. Thank you for having you. Yes. Cheers to you. And thank you for listening. We hope to see you next time. Cheers.