Interview with Local Vendor: Sweetface Bakery

Lena is owner of Sweetface Bakery, who supplies delicious fresh baked good to Chop Bar. She answered some questions about her company and the yummy treats she sells throughout the Bay Area:

Can you share some of Sweetface’s history, …how did the business begin?

Sweetface started as an adventure and escape for me from the corporate world. I’d been in financial services in sales for 10+ years and over time just realized it didn’t reward me in a fulfilling, soul-satisfying way. Baking and cooking was a way for me to relax and connect with people on a totally different level than anything else and when the company I worked for was acquired, I decided rather than transition into the new company I’d finally take the leap to run my own business doing something I was really passionate about – creating desserts and seeing people enjoy them. So in mid-2008, I traded in my suits and Blackberry for an apron and whisk, and I haven’t looked back since.

What are the perks of operating a “bakery on wheels”?

The beauty of SweetRoll, our bakery on wheels, is that wherever the party is, we can be there – either delivering our goodies or handing them out from the truck. We’re not tied to one location. But probably the best perk is that we’re able to interact with people face to face, and see firsthand their enjoyment when they eat our product. It sounds corny but if we can make our customers smile with one of our cupcakes or cookies or brownies or whatever, then we have fulfilled our mission and the bakery’s raison d’etre.

Where else can people find your sweet, besides Chop Bar?

For retail locations, our cupcakes and chocolate chip cookies are available at Belgano Chocolatier Noe Valley at 3901 W. 24th St. as well as Cowgirl Creamery at Point Reyes Station. Otherwise, we bake to order all manner of cakes, cupcakes, and more and deliver all over the Bay Area. Just call or email us.

Cranberry Muffins

Any new treats we might be seeing at Chop Bar in the future?

We’ve got bagels ready to go and donuts are in the final testing stages so hopefully they’ll be added to the Chop Bar menu shortly. We are super excited about the donuts!

How does Sweetface use Twitter? Do people interact with Sweetface online?

Twitter is a great tool to get immediate feedback from our fans as well as post what’s new or happening in real time particularly when we take SweetRoll out on the streets. Our followers are super supportive and we love tweeting with them. Since we don’t have a retail shop (for now), it’s the next best thing when it comes to making people feel like they’re part of the family and this goes both ways – we love knowing that people out there enjoy our desserts enough to be followers and fans on Facebook. It makes us feel like we’re doing something right and it’s powerful motivation when we’re rolling into the kitchen at 4AM to bake!

Follow Sweetface on Twitter: @SweetfaceBakery

Visit Sweetface’s website: http://www.sweetfacesweets.com/

See more pictures: Sweetface Bakery’s Delicious Flickr Set