Tweet’s Sweets

Entrepreneurs in the food industry inspire me especially when they are in the baking business.  Made to order food is a totally different animal where there is more room for error but in baking adding too much salt at the beginning of the process could cost you an extra 2+ hours in the kitchen.  I had the opportunity to sit down with one of my new fave bakers in the business.  I am usually reluctant to do tastings for baked goods mostly because I am not a huge sweets eater and if the goods lack moisture, I am going to thoroughly disenjoy the experience.  This is probably why it took me so long to sit down with Tweet’s Sweets, fear of the unknown.

Why did I wait so long?!? This question replayed in my mind until I had made my way through the entire tray of goodies provided by the solo entrepreneur.  Every single cupcake was full of moisture with the perfect balance of sweets and flavor.  When I say the perfect balance of sweet and flavor, take for instance, the banana pudding cupcake (*which is my absolute favorite).  You could taste all the sweetness of a vanilla wafer and the pudding flavor but in a bread batter that had a prominent banana base.  Mind you I took on this task immediately after having graft tooth surgery (*the most painful and expensive surgery that almost seems unnecessary…) so one side of my mouth was totally swollen and rejecting any food particles with a splitting pain.  I completely ignored this after having one of these cupcakes.

After ranting and raving about the tasty cakes, I wanted to get the inside scoop on the story behind the baking.  Here’s what Tweet’s Sweets had to say about life in the baking biz:

©JohnnaKnowsGoodFood

How did Tweet’s Sweets come into existence?

I have been baking since I was 7 years old. Growing up, my Nan was my best friend and I loved nothing more than following her around her kitchen when she was baking, especially if she was baking her famous sweet potato pies.  My father used to have me bake him carrot cake from scratch all the time and of course I was always experimenting with new flavors on my Easy Bake Oven (*Funny, this is as far as my baking skills go…).  A couple of years ago, I decided that I wanted to learn how to decorate professionally, so that my yummy sweets could look as yummy as they tasted.  I had the privilege of being instructed by Vera Ball, of Cakes by Vera, and made my first big cake sale after my 3rd class and I have been baking and selling ever since.

Why the name Tweet’s Sweets?

Well I wanted the name of my business to be something short but also catchy… Everyone calls me Tweety so of course I wanted my name to be incorporated into the business name but due to trademark laws, I would not be able to use “Tweety” so “Tweet” was close enough and I was going to be selling sweets so Tweet’s Sweets did it for me.

What did you find the most difficult about starting your own baking company?

Getting over the fear of being scrutinized against established bakeries.  Baking is my passion, something that I have done well for a very long time, but up until this point, only close friends and family had tasted my baked goods.  So allowing myself and my sweets to be put under a magnifying glass was kind of hard for me.  Also, promoting myself was difficult.  I had to turn into a walking, talking billboard for my business which was hard because I am not one that likes to toot my own horn…I would rather let my sweets speak for themselves. It’s funny I still have to remind myself to carry business cards at all times.

Any specialities?

Tweet’s Sweets specializes in yummy sweets for a variety of dietary needs.  We have yummy sugar-free sweets affectionately named the Lulus after my niece who is not allowed to have sugar; the DBGs are dairy and soy-free sweets, but they do include eggs, named after my son who has a dairy and soy allergy; we also carry vegan sweets and sweets made with whole-wheat, olive oil and natural sugars for the healthy conscious sweets’ eaters. I am a “sweets” company.  I provide yummy sweets perfect for any occasion, whether it is brownies and cookies for a tea party or a wedding cake fit for a queen.

Who is the team behind Tweet’s Sweets?

I am grateful to have a lot of genuine people in my corner, pushing me to be my best, whether it’s trying to enter me into Cupcake Wars or trying to get their company to order their monthly birthday sweets from me.  My biggest supporters are my son, my cousin Rae and her daughter.  My cousin Rae is the one who purchased and designed my 1st business card, creating my very long email address, tweets_sweets_homemade_goodness@yahoo.com.

What is the best advice you can give someone starting their own baking business?

Don’t get caught up in all the hype.  Set your own goals and standards and live by them.  Find yourself a mentor who has walked the path you are about to walk, preferably one that you won’t be competing against for clients. Most importantly, know that everyone will not want you to succeed, and people that you thought would be happy for you, won’t be…but that’s their problem, not yours, if this is something that you want, go get it because no one is going to hand it to you.

Being from Chicago, have you found a way to incorporate your Midwest upbringing into Tweet’s Sweets?

My Nan baked with a heavy hand, she didn’t measure anything.  She was heavy on the spices, the sugar and most importantly the love.  I bake with a lot of love and and season by smell and taste.  I have been told that I am really generous with the chocolate : )  I will not bake if I am in a funky mood because my sweets come out tasting funky or burnt.

What flavor is a must have for those that want to try Tweet’s Sweets?

I am a chocolate kinda girl, so I would say try my Chocolate Wasted Remix (Chocolate Cake With Cookies and Cream baked into the Cake with Cookies and Cream Icing) but my son and cousin would tell you “You have to try the Suga Mama and the Licia’s Puddin, they taste just like sweet potatoes and banana pudding!”  Whatever your choice is, I am sure it’s going to be a yummy experience.

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Tags: baked goods, cupcakes dc, tweet's sweets, washington dc

Category: Food.Fun.Stuff.