About Sweet Tiers
Sweet Tiers has successfully been in business for 40 years. We take great pride and specialize in our flavors, along with our eye for design. We are known for our Buttercream and many of our Award Winning flavors like our Marble Cake with Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur and a fudge filling. Our Buttercream is light and not overly sweet.
Our most proud moment was when Lee Brian Schrager, the Founder of the South Beach Food and Wine Festival, asked us to join in to design their 10th Anniversary Cake. What an honor and a sugar high that didn’t come down for months. We stood alongside some of the best New York Cake Designers, such as Ron Ben-Israel, Collette Peters, Margaret Braun and Duff from Ace of Cakes.
Our most proud moment was when Lee Brian Schrager, the Founder of the South Beach Food and Wine Festival, asked us to join in to design their 10th Anniversary Cake. What an honor and a sugar high that didn’t come down for months. We stood alongside some of the best New York Cake Designers, such as Ron Ben-Israel, Collette Peters, Margaret Braun and Duff from Ace of Cakes.
Meet Elena Vara
I started decorating cakes at the local grocery store bakery at the young age of 14 on a work experience program with my school. I quickly realized that I had a talent and a passion for it. At the age of 21 I started the business with dessert cakes selling to restaurants, hotels and country clubs. It was very rewarding but there was something missing and I was unfulfilled. It was my need for creativity. I knew that custom cakes were the way to go and I decided to open my own custom cake shop. It was one of the first retail cake shops opened in South Florida in 1983. My friends and family thought I was absolutely crazy opening a storefront location where I didn’t sell pastries and bread. I knew nothing about pastry and bread, I only knew cakes! The bakery was born with a $5,000.00 loan from my Aunt Jean. I was a newlywed and a new mom and had a need to survive, I had no idea where to begin.
There was no business plan and all I had was a hand mixer and a box cooler. I was told it would take up to five years to show a profit, but that was not true for me. I began to see an immediate profit due to the little overhead and the fact that we didn’t go crazy purchasing expensive equipment and over purchase supplies.
I have always fought to be one of the best of the best. Product consistency is vey important, along with keeping up with new trends and design techniques.
Challenges have always been hiring experienced decorators with the same high standards as mine. In this industry, it’s difficult to find the right fit for the position required. If the person has the talent, they are usually working from their homes. Home bakers concern me, especially during this pandemic. Who is watching over them to ensure they are following regulations? We are licensed, insured, health inspected and safe serve certified.
There was no business plan and all I had was a hand mixer and a box cooler. I was told it would take up to five years to show a profit, but that was not true for me. I began to see an immediate profit due to the little overhead and the fact that we didn’t go crazy purchasing expensive equipment and over purchase supplies.
I have always fought to be one of the best of the best. Product consistency is vey important, along with keeping up with new trends and design techniques.
Challenges have always been hiring experienced decorators with the same high standards as mine. In this industry, it’s difficult to find the right fit for the position required. If the person has the talent, they are usually working from their homes. Home bakers concern me, especially during this pandemic. Who is watching over them to ensure they are following regulations? We are licensed, insured, health inspected and safe serve certified.