We recently connected with Shayla Daniels and have shared our conversation below.

Shayla, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to go back in time and hear the story of how you came up with the name of your brand?

I came up with the name of my business way back in high school, so back in 2010-ish. Well a version of my business name, and back then it was only a dream. I remember writing in a article for the local newspaper that “one day I will own a bakery business called Chez Shay’s”. My whole life, close family and friends have called me Shay Shay. I actually use to HATE being called that; However, after taking years of French and knowing that France is the true birth place of pastry, a fun play on the word “Chez” seemed appropriate. (Pronounced Shay) Once I moved to Florida and decided to take a leap of faith on myself, I decided to move forward with the name. Unfortunately, it was denied because it was too close to another business’ name. My mom actually suggested that I add “Sweets” to the end and BOOM! Chez Shay’s Sweets was officially registered and legal in the state of Florida.

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.

Hi, I am Shayla Daniels aka Chef Shay. Raised in the Midwest, I have been in love with cooking since I was tall enough to stand at the table and stir things in a bowl. I am blessed to have a family that has always supported my dreams and passions. I took every cooking class offered at my middle and high school. I started my official pastry training at The French Pastry School in downtown Chicago one month after graduating high school. Shortly after graduating pastry school, I underwent brain surgery. I have Spina Bifida and was born with a Chiari Malformation and 7mm of my brain was being compressed between my skull and spinal cord. My outlook on life changed forever in that moment. I learned not to take a single moment for granted and to go after all of the things that I desire.

Starting Chez Shay’s Sweets back in 2019, my main goal was to bring delicious macarons and pastries to the Tampa Bay Area. Macarons at the time didn’t have a positive association attached to them. The general public seemed to think that they were just gross-expensive little cookies, and I wanted to change that perception! I wanted people to taste quality pastries and be able to access them more easily. I started doing farmers markets around the city and offered mini macarons as samples for people to try. My main goal was to change peoples perception of macarons and realize how DELICIOUS they are and taste the love that went into each batch. Presentation matters and soon mini macaron samples became a hit and I began selling out at every market.

I am most proud of building my brand and name from the ground up. I’ve done all of the work myself. My mom was also a HUGE part of my business and support system. Her unexpected passing in 2021 rocked my world to the core. Finding out who I am without her has been unimaginable but here I am. I have been on a Food Network competition, grown my business to taking on corporate clients and even began selling my products online so that people around the US can taste quality macarons!

No matter the type of sweets that my clients order, be it cakes, macarons, cupcakes, cookies, etc. I want them to know that their order is truly made with love and with special attention to detail. I love customising each order and having them know that they are important to me no matter how big or small their order.

Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?

Social Media and word of mouth have been my biggest ways of growing my clientele! I may not have 10’s of thousands of followers but the ones that I do have are loyal are repeat clients. Since day 1 of starting my Instagram page, I’ve tried to be as transparent and approachable as possible. I want my clients to feel like they know me. Building a relationship with each of them helps build trust between us and makes making their sweets for their special moments that more meaningful. Have a good character and a fantastic product and you will go far.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think that the quality of my products have helped me build such a good reputation in the market and helped me stand out from the crowd. It’s so true when people say that “your product speaks for itself”. Not only the quality in taste but I also pride myself in presentation. You eat with your eyes first, so not only will my sweets be beautiful but even more delicious. I put in hours of hard work and persistence. I am everything, the baker, marketing, accounting, HR, hype squad and the printer. I manage every aspect of my business and insure that everything is done properly and I hope that it shows in my work.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chezshayssweets.com
• Instagram: @ChezShaysSweetss –https://www.instagram.com/chezshayssweetss/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chezshayssweets/

Image Credits
@TheHearldCollective and myself