Meet Nicolette Inglese | Bakeshop Owner & Decorator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicolette Inglese and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicolette, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am from Southern California. I grew up in Claremont with my parents and 3 siblings. My background has played a huge part of who I am today and the business that I started. My dad has owned and operated three Italian restaurants in the Inland Empire, the first one being open for over 30 years now. I grew up in the restaurant business and eventually had my first job working in his pizzeria. I did various jobs like serving, busing, and managing. That influenced me to go to The Collins College at Cal Poly Pomona for Hospitality and Restaurant Management where I got my degree. After that I loved cooking so much because my mom is a fantastic cook, I went to the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, Ca where I got my certification in Culinary Arts. Eventually I learned that I loved baking and pastry so I got a job at the bakery at Disneyland, and after a few years there I built up enough personal business that I had the ability to officially start my own. I think a lot of the confidence I had going into it and taking the risk came from my parents. I knew they would be able to give me advice and support when I needed it. My dad works insanely hard to make sure his businesses are always doing well and I feel like I do the same as well with my business. He was always the best role model for great work ethics and entrepreneurship .

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a self taught decorator. I grew up loving art and taking some art classes so now that my business allows me to be creative and make my art every week, it makes it so much more enjoyable. I specialize in decorated cakes and sugar cookies so that means almost every item I produce has a specific theme that I have to create. I get to learn along the way through other small baking businesses and take classes to learn new tips and tricks. It is a constant learning process which I love. I get to incorporate a lot of art forms into my business like hand painting, calligraphy, and sculpting. It has taken a lot of work to get to where I am today. There has definitely been learning curves and different challenges I have had to overcome. I had to make the decision to close my physical store location after one year because it was more plausible for me to do a cottage law baking business, especially with Covid. I have had to really try and balance my work life and home life because both are now in the same spot. I probably work more than ever but I am trying to cut back and make sure I have time for other things in my life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had to show someone the best time ever I would take them to some of my favorite restaurants including Bestia in Los Angeles, Strong Water bar in Anaheim, Blue Water Grill in Newport, and Tutti Mangia in Claremont. Southern California has some really fun things to do like going to Disneyland, Universal Studios, paddle boarding off Balboa peninsula, going to the Titanic Exhibit in Los Angeles as well as the Magic Castle, and the Santa Monica Pier.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The Disneyland bakery that gave me the experience I needed in the baking and pastry field to feel more confident in my work. My parents and siblings that gave me the support and guidance I needed to open my business. All of my local friends and family that ordered treats from me and spread the word, when I was first starting out. That gave me the opportunity to build my business and get more practice and experience to be where I am now.

Website: www.sweettakesbakeshop.com

Instagram: @thesweettakes