Meet Taylor Eaton

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

Hi Taylor, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I actually started my pastry business when I was 15! Initially, I started baking snickerdoodles because I couldn’t find the brand that I wanted at the store. I brought the cookies to school and my friends couldn’t get enough so I started baking more and trying different recipes until finally I started selling my cookies for .25 and .50 a pop!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
It has been a long and tumultuous road to get to where I am today and truthfully I am still not at my final destination. I started out as Taylor Made Delights, making simple desserts for friends and family. Then I began working with a partner and we became Black Soul Pastries. We were both fresh out of culinary school, so we were eager to start experimenting with flavors and techniques. We began creating more elaborate and delicious desserts. Once the pandemic hit we parted ways and I was left unsure about my next move. For a while I was lost and I didn’t know if I wanted to continue baking and then it hit me! I couldn’t give up on my dream, I knew I was destined for great things so I started a rebrand. After workshopping a lot of terrible names I settled on Sum’ Sweet Bakery! I’ve stuck with that ever since but in the past year I have been striving to push myself even harder so I have opened up to full service catering, doing not just sweets, but savory too! None of this would have been possible without a community of people who truly believe in me. I may have had some missteps but I keep moving forward and I keep evolving. I think that’s what sets me apart from others is a willingness to change and evolve. Of course I have my tried and true recipes but I also love to experiment and try new things! While experimenting doesn’t always work out it has helped me learn how to take criticism and pivot. And let me tell you I have become an excellent pivoter!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Depending on the time of day we’d have to start with breakfast. I’m currently in love with the bacon sandwich from EggTuck or the pineapple upside down pancakes at Breakfast Republic or head over to Court Cafe for some delicious peach cobbler waffles! If we’re talking fun, I’m a simple girly, finding random things to do on Groupon has become my go to! We’d probably do something spontaneous like axe throwing on trap shooting! I’d like to end the night with some INCREDIBLE Italian from Amante and possibly head over to EightyTwo or Barcade in DTLA and get some good retro gaming in!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I first have to give a shoutout to my mom for always encouraging me to pursue my dreams and believing in little 15 year old me, even though I was definitely destroying the kitchen! I also want to shoutout Phil Martin of Black Cat BBQ, who is not only a great mentor and amazing pit master but a great friend! Next I have I would like to shout out my partner, who has been my support and taste tester. Finally I want to give a shoutout to all of the amazing chefs I have met along my journey like Kim Prince of Hotville Chicken, Chef Dawn of Sat & Sun Catering, and Chef La’Quanna Garrett and so many more who have blessed me with amazing opportunities, knowledge, and pushed me to be greater.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sumsweetkitchen?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/qGNTuvcZw8E7beek/?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Image Credits
@flea_your_mind @thesecret.la