We were lucky to catch up with Udele Pandya recently and have shared our conversation below.

Udele, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

The most meaningful cake I ever made was for the late Congressman Sam Johnson. The cake I created celebrated the 40th Anniversary of his release as a Prisoner of War. I was honored when they invited us to stay for the reception. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house as he recapped his struggles as a POW for 7 years with half of that time in solitary confinement. Before that time I’d never met a true hero. Coming from a long line of family members who served and are currently serving in the military this moment was so impactful to me. To our active military and retired veterans, thank you for your service.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As the owner of Sweet Art Bakery I’m living my best life. I’m truly doing what I love and loving what I do. We are located in the beautiful McKinney Flour Mill.

People often ask me how I got into the bakery business. Growing up, every Sunday for as long as I could remember, our family would go to my grandparents house for lunch. I wasn’t even tall enough to peek over the table and I would find hundreds of handmade sugar flowers my Grandmother had made during the week. I was in awe over how much time each delicate flower must have taken her. She was so talented and I loved to sit on her swivel decorating chair and watch her with such admiration. Now as an adult, I realize growing up I never had a store bought cake. My Grandmother made every birthday cake I ever had. I carry on that tradition to this day. I make a special treat for every person in my entire family on their birthday and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Cake decorating today is different from when I was growing up. Believe it or not the cakes my Grandmother made are now referred to as “Vintage Piping” and they are some of my favorite cakes to make as they bring back such fond memories. Apart from the Vintage cakes we specialize in truly custom cakes. When we take an order we ask about the person receiving the cake and try to capture what they love most. From fairies, to butterflies, unicorns, mermaids and superheroes we truly make cake dreams come true.

We love meeting with couples planning their Wedding Day. Interacting with each individual couple is what we do best. We do everything we can to make sure we design a cake that will be the centerpiece of their Wedding, that not only represents their personalities, but is also delicious. We love our couples and would not be here without them.

Currently we are a by appointment Custom Cake Studio, however, we will be opening a retail space at Tupps Brewery in McKinney, TX. Construction is currently underway. We are honored and thrilled to have one of the retail Grain Bins. At Tupps you will be able to pick up cupcakes, brownies, cookies and so much more.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me and the entire Sweet Art Team, our favorite part of what we do is when the client picks up the cake! We wait in anticipation hoping they love their cake as much as we do. Often times the birthday celebrant comes along for the cake pick up and the reaction is truly everything. We have seen the faces of children light up when they realize the cake is for them. We have seen tears for Celebration of Life cakes. We have heard laughter when a Groom has seen his Reese’s Buttercup cake, fishing, hunting or golf themed cake representing him. Let’s not forget the excited gasp when a bride sees her cake for first time. A cake she’s probably been dreaming about since she was a little girl. The most touching reactions come from when a person says this is their first custom birthday cake they have ever received. Those bring a smile to our face every single time.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

For as long as I could remember I dreamed of owning my own bakery. I had over a 25 year successful career in the Insurance Industry. The entire time I was doing this I also made cakes every weekend. It’s almost as if I had 2 full time jobs. After I would get off of my Insurance job, I would run to cake supply stores and bake after work spending many all nighters decorating. It didn’t feel like work because I loved it so much. Then one day I had to make a decision to either move up in the Insurance world or dedicate all my time to what I love doing most. My whole family said it was time to make the change and in 2021 Sweet Art Bakery went up for sale and I purchased it. I’m so thankful for the dedicated cake designers that stayed with me during this transition and help me grow the business every day. I couldn’t do what I do without their talent and loyalty. I appreciate them so much.
 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sweetartbakery.com
• Instagram: sweet_art_bakery
• Facebook: Sweet Art Custom Cake Studio

Image Credits
Aven Willow Portraits