By GAVIN ALEXANDER | Junior Reporter
With Thanksgiving season underway, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Susie Sarich, founder and CEO of SusieCakes, to get a behind-the-scenes look at how she and her team prepare the bakery for the holiday rush, as well as learn more about the traditions and challenges that come with it.
Introduction to SusieCakes
SusieCakes is an all-American, homestyle bakery. They bake on site from scratch (butter, flour, sugar, eggs) every day from recipes based on both of her grandmothers’ handwritten three-by-five-inch recipe cards.
Sarich grew up in Chicago, and both of her grandmothers, Mildred and Madeline, lived across the alley from each other. In fact, this is how her parents met.
Sarich’s father was a firefighter who worked long shifts. Sarich spent a lot of time with her grandmothers, both of whom were amazing cooks and bakers. Much of Sarich’s childhood was spent in their respective kitchens, watching them cook and bake while they shared stories.
Thanksgiving Traditions
Thanksgiving is Sarich’s favorite holiday. It symbolizes coming together with friends, family, and loved ones, expressing gratitude, and enjoying great food.
Sarich shared that she has always loved dessert best. Her favorite Thanksgiving memories involve dinner being finished with everyone gathered around the table enjoying coffee or a glass of port. The pies would be brought to the table, and her relatives would chat for hours on end, sharing stories of their past and playing board games.
Special Thanksgiving Offerings
SusieCakes’ Thanksgiving menu boasted top sellers such as pecan pie, pumpkin pie and apple crumble pie, along with a pumpkin cheesecake, baked on a graham cracker crust, and a cranberry orange cake. The bakery also offered frosted sugar cookies shaped like turkeys, along with cupcakes and mini cupcakes specially decorated for Thanksgiving.
Preparing for the Rush
The preparation for Thanksgiving at SusieCakes starts early in November. The team meticulously follows a checklist daily, ensuring everything is in place for the big day. From folding thousands of boxes to following specific baking schedules and ingredient preparation, each step is crucial for a successful Thanksgiving rush.
Sarich noted that the Wednesday before Thanksgiving between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. is a well-choreographed process. There is a table set up at the front of the store, with a greeter and runners going back and forth, gathering the thousands of guest orders. In fact, SusieCakes will sell over 10,000 pies companywide for Thanksgiving.
Popular Thanksgiving Treats
Pies reign supreme during the Thanksgiving season, with pumpkin, apple and pecan being the most popular choices. Additionally, frosted sugar cookies and cupcakes add a festive touch to the menu.
A lot of people celebrate birthdays on Thanksgiving. Sarich said there are far more “Happy Birthday cakes” that go out for Thanksgiving than one would imagine.
Challenges and Solutions
The Thanksgiving season brings unique challenges due to the high demand. Staffing for peak seasons can be a struggle. Today there is not a market of seasonal workers available.
In addition, they have only so much capacity, therefore they need to streamline their offerings. For example, although lemon cake and snickerdoodle cookies are beloved items, they remove them from the menu during November and December.
Sourcing ingredients starts as early as August: SusieCakes uses their historical sales data to forecast the demand and purchasing needs. However, every year there tends to be one ingredient that is hard to source.
This year their supplier let them know they would not be able to fulfill the entirety of their whole pecan order. Given the team was prepared, they were able to find a secondary supplier to meet the demand.
Team Collaboration
Team collaboration is a key ingredient at SusieCakes during the Thanksgiving season and throughout the year. In fact, Sarich said her passion is hospitality. She knew at a young age she wanted to serve people and make them happy.
Sarich attended Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, and spent many years working in restaurants in a variety of front of house and management positions. She saw many women leave the industry because it was hard to have time for a family, let alone go out for a date.
When she started SusieCakes, it was important to her to provide a place for the team to be able to have a career without having to sacrifice the life they wanted.
At the beginning of November, Sarich hosts a company meeting with her general manager and head bakers to make sure everyone is on the same page and understands the day to day checklists that must be completed in order to satisfy the Thanksgiving demand. The Monday before Thanksgiving, the team celebrates each other’s efforts with a special breakfast or luncheon.
Customer Interaction
Sarich said she spends a lot more of her time in the stores throughout November and December. She said she loves engaging with guests and enjoys hearing how SusieCakes becomes a part of their holiday traditions.
Sarich shared the story of a woman who would come to the Brentwood store the Monday before Thanksgiving and order a few hundred small pies. After a few years of doing this, Sarich finally asked the woman what she did with the pies. The woman told her that she delivers them to individuals at senior living facilities who may be celebrating the holiday alone. To this day Sarich said she remains touched by this woman’s generosity and loves that SusieCakes is a small part of that.
Personal Favorites
Pecan pie holds a special place in Sarich’s heart, but she admitted to loving all the Thanksgiving treats SusieCakes has to offer. The nostalgic aroma of cinnamon is a favorite flavor that permeates the holiday season.
My personal favorites are her soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies and the Vanilla Celebration Cake.
Advice for Home Bakers
Sarich offered practical advice for home bakers, emphasizing the importance of planning in advance. Desserts, such as pies, can be prepared ahead of time.
She also mentioned that baking a pie crust can be a challenge. Baking is a science, and pie crusts can be finicky. Sarich’s tip is to make sure all of the crust ingredients are cold.
Placing Orders
SusieCakes is closed on Thanksgiving Day and the Friday after, as it is important to Sarich that she and her team receive a well-deserved break.
Thanksgiving is all the more special to her because of what she and her team are able to accomplish in such a short period of time. In all, SusieCakes is not just about baking: It’s about creating moments of joy and tradition for their guests.
Visit SusieCakes in Brentwood at 11708 San Vicente Boulevard or online at susiecakes.com where nationwide shipping is available.
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