Business is Sweet for Local Baker
NO MATTER WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD, THERE WILL ALWAYS BE ROOM FOR CAKE AND SPECIAL CELEBRATIONS.
Local entrepreneur and baker Sara Zacharias has been busier than ever completing the renovation in her garage for her bakery business - The Sweetness Bakeshop - creating custom pastries and cakes, and being a mom and loving wife.
Sara grew up in a small town in North Central Saskatchewan and spent many of her childhood days in the kitchen. Baking at a young age became her “playground” and she thoroughly enjoyed creating her own little masterpieces. At the time, baking was merely a hobby and the thought of making it an actual career had never crossed her mind.
When she stumbled upon the opportunity to enroll in Baking School, Sara eagerly jumped at the prospect to attend NAIT and move to Edmonton. At NAIT, she trained in baking and pastry arts, food handling and safe operations, and small business planning.
After completing her culinary education, Sara moved to Prince Albert to deploy her newly obtained education at a local café. Almost immediately, Sara noticed a lack of decadent custom cakes and pastries in the market and knew this was her chance to showcase her skillful art. With some financial support from Community Futures and her family’s tenacity, Sara opened The Sweetness Bakeshop at the age of 20.
In 2014, Sara found herself overwhelmed creating custom wedding and birthday cakes and was slowly burning herself out. She knew that if she wanted to grow and enjoy her business again, she needed to take a break. At the same time, she decided to step back, she found out that she was pregnant, solidifying her decision to pause and re-energize her mind and body.
Fast forward to 2016 and Sara’s little family decided to make the move to Medicine Hat. A circle of their closest friends were all making the move to the sunniest spot in Canada, so why not her family too?
“Medicine Hat was a bigger city where more opportunity existed,” said Sara. “It was the perfect-sized community to raise my daughter and start baking again. Medicine Hat has been really great for my family and my business.”
The Sweetness Bakeshop specializes in carefully designed custom cakes, cupcakes and pastries for all types of occasions. Sara’s art is so defined, unique and elegant that it truly stands out. Each of her orders is distinctively prepared depending on the style and inspiration gleaned from the client. The process takes anywhere from 3 to 5 hours from preparing and shopping to adding the final touches.
Don’t miss Sara at the Farmer’s Markets every Saturday starting June 13 until October 3, 2020 at the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Grounds. To view her art and baking or to request an order, visit TheSweetnessBakeshop.com or connect with her on Facebook and Instagram.
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