Making Dough: A career in finance, including a stint analyzing the retail food industry at Credit Suisse, led Teresa Ging in a surprising direction—toward the kitchen. “My heart was tugging me to do something different,” says Ging. “I left my job in 2006 and attended Le Cordon Bleu.” Once Ging got her pastry certificate, she set out to craft the perfect cupcake, which she considers a portion-controlled indulgence. “I started testing recipes and trying them out on 30 to 40 people who lived in my condo building,” she says. “I had them answer five questions about each variation and, over eight months, I finalized the 24 flavors in my collection.” With a menu established, Ging launched Sugar Bliss Cakes in October 2007 and will open her own bakeshop, Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique in the Loop this November.
Let Them Eat Cake: With flavors ranging from chocolate cappuccino (dark-chocolate cake with cappuccino buttercream frosting) to orange creamsicle (Madagascar bourbon vanilla cake with orange zest and vanilla buttercream frosting), Ging prides herself on baking everything from scratch the day of each order and using ingredients such as European cocoa and fresh fruit. “A gallon of our vanilla costs $200,” she says. “Quality matters to me.” Sugar Bliss cupcakes also have another distinct feature: Bliss Blooms, the signature flower-shaped frosting that decorates each pastry.
For events, Ging can customize frosting colors and incorporate logos into the design of her cupcakes. She can also set up party-ready cupcake tiers and provide gift boxes. Her cupcakes have been featured at such high-profile charity events as the Grand Chef’s Tasting for United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Chicago and Shopping for Wishes for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Ging also participated in a pop-up boutique for retail publication SeeMore Shopping in a Loop office building earlier this year. “For a few weeks, Teresa came to the building every Wednesday to sell Sugar Bliss cupcakes, and she sold out every time,” says Liz Engquist, founder of SeeMore Shopping. “She has a very loyal customer base that seeks her out.”
Sweet Spot: Once the Loop storefront is open, Ging will move operations from the suburban commercial kitchen she currently uses. The new shop will offer breakfast cupcakes, 10 choices of dessert cupcakes daily, signature coffee drinks and other beverages, and frosting shots—individual cups, each with a Bliss Bloom inside.
