We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eva Winter a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Eva, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

During the pandemic in 2020 I made the decision to retire as a dental hygienist after 20 years and open my pastry shop to live out my dream and show the world what I can do. During the pandemic my husband and I redid the back storage room of our retail store (HVAC, installation, sales and service) to make it my pastry shop. When COVID was slowing the world down, we were able to provide work to my other employees as they also helped build my shop. The grand-opening for Sweet Indulgence Pastries was April 29th, 2021. All three days we were open, we sold out. What was once a huge risk, ended up becoming a reality and I have not looked back.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

At the age of 18 years old, I moved from small town Wolcott, New York to big city Baltimore, Maryland with only a couple dollars in my pocket, and a ‘let’s see what will happen’ attitude. I scored my first pastry job at Sweet Indulgence. I worked the 11pm-7am shift, panning, measuring and baking off cakes. I quickly became friends with the most amazing pastry chef. She taught me everything I know today, and how to utilize all of my mobilities. I moved up the line quickly and became the manager of the pastry and cake department at the age of 19. I worked bridal shows, order deliveries, and worked endless hours honing in my ability to provide the most delicious and most presentable pastries. My pastry chef/friend Jen Bertucco, decided it was time for her to move to a new pastry shop, Renaissance Pastries and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to move with her and work side by side. Although I loved my job, and working alongside Jen, at 23 years old, I decided it was time for me to move back home. Due to the lack of opportunities with my pastry experience, I decided to go to school and become a dental hygienist. Fast forward to 2017, my husband I bought a brick and mortar for our HVAC business, and in hope one day to fulfil my dream and open my own pastry shop in my hometown. After 3 panic attacks, and me “quitting” the night before opening day (April 29th, 2021), my family and friends pulled me through and helped me prove to myself that I can do this. After a short 2 and a half years, we have been extremely successful and are now building a new pastry shop that will include a coffee shop and dine-in experience for our community. What sets us apart from others is also what I am most proud of. 99.9% of my pastries are made in house, by me. We use as many local products as we can. I am very involved with my community, especially the young children- we have many baking classes from cookies, to cakes to gingerbread houses. There is nothing like my pastries for miles around. People have been known to drive 2 hours away to visit us and experience my work. Getting to know my customers on a personal level, making deliveries to an elderly lady that cannot get out of the house but cant live without my pastries. The younger generation growing up with a pastry shop and getting to know what a strawberry swirl and fruit tart is and asking for them by name warms my heart. For customers to say that my pastries remind them of their childhood or that little pastry shop in Ireland that they visited is the best feeling. One of the best things is not only promoting other local small businesses, but creating the friendships with them along the way.

How did you build your audience on social media?

I hired Karli at the young age of 22, and she quickly became my social media, PR person. The key to building your audience is not to only share your business life, but also your personal life as it pertains to your business. It is important for your audience to know that you are human, and they appreciate your ups, downs, and in-betweens. We particularly like to highlight birthday celebrations with a homecooked meal in house. Once a year we take a girls day and highlight our journey along the way. Not only do we celebrate my child’s milestones, but our customers also. A huge community presence is also the key. We highlight not only the good, but also the sad. We have done many donation jars for those in need. Putting those out there on social media is the best way to tell their story and gain the help from the community. This also holds true for positive things like school sports, helping with uniforms, supplies, and extra things that children may need. By doing this just on Facebook alone, we have created a huge following that we are now in the works of creating our webpage.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding is the amount of people I have met along the way. The relationships with my customers and other small business owners has broadened my life.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fsweetindulgencepastries20%3Figshid%3DOGQ5ZDc2ODk2ZA%253D%253D%26utm_source%3Dqr%26fbclid%3DIwAR0-yMyRtFzQ4F8hhGpt_hXW2Pqdrdihx4BkQOyBPxeSnH7k1idSjoa7WmU&h=AT2CSy9-vnBV8dWEOYeqSPeSHn2I1n_NbIArkQ7zaMMOGaBRAjiHcjGpqjm-1NOCpL5l4R0Dtg5wdAzgfaUPP2bk1fctlo1FoP52rLErJRfMSQ0aaOW5qKp827pa2pE8xWSN7g
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetindulgencepastries20?mibextid=LQQJ4d