MADEINC
You’ve stated that you began your
culinary career later in life. What
was your “a-ha” that pushed you
into taking baking seriously?
Since I was 18, I can remember
having the dream of attending
culinary school. However, I
was living with my grandmother
and she came from a different
generation that really didn’t
believe that you could “make
it” as a pastry chef. And my
background is in pharmacy so she
encouraged me to stick with that.
Which I did. Fast forward seven
to eight years later after having
my youngest daughter, I was a
stay at home mom at the time.
I was super depressed and was
disappointed with where I was
in my life. At that very moment,
a commercial to attend one of
the local schools here in Chicago
came on the TV. I took that as a
sign, and one month later, I was
registered for culinary school at
the Art Institute of Chicago.
Why did you decide to choose
baking of all the culinary arts
to pursue?
As anyone who is interested in the
culinary field, I tried to immerse
myself in all things culinary.
Cooking shows, live demos,
cookbooks, any opportunity to
showcase my “skills” or expand my
knowledge about what interested
me, etc. And I keep coming back to
the fact that Buddy a.k.a. “The Cake
Boss” was able to create something
different every time he made a
cake and he had creative control of
his work. That really interested me!
I get bored very easily, so coming
from my previous work of having a
desk job in the pharmacy field and
being a stay at home mom, I was
eager to have change every day.
Some of the most prominent figures
have been your customers, most
notably, President Obama and Steve
Harvey. Walk me through how that
came to pass.
I’ve been very blessed to have had
many opportunities. I’ve also had an
even bigger opportunity to work for
some of the best local companies
in Chicago. Having the opportunity
to work for them has allowed me
to be in positions to either work for
some prominent individuals like two
former Presidents such as Bill Clinton
and his foundation and Barack
Obama, or taught me how to get
connected to receive them.
Tell me the story of how your
business’s name came about.
I originally wanted the name Cups
and Cakes but there were several
companies with that name. It
took more than two years for me
to come up with something that
nobody had, really spoke to my
potential clientele and immediately
told you what we were about.
Hence, Penthouse Sweets was
born. To me, when I think of a
Penthouse I think of something
that looks expensive, is made in
really good taste, everyone can’t
afford it, and has quality. I think
we have been able to hit that mark
with every cake, dessert bar, and
experience that we produce.
While growing your business, at
one time you were working five
jobs simultaneously.How’d you
find the strength to (and energy)
to continue?
To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure.