Shine on with Reese
Candace Nelson On Making The Jump From Cupcakes To Pizza
Plus: How long it took for the Sprinkles and Pizzana founder to perfect her cupcake recipe.
May 24, 2019
We’ve been catching up with inspiring female founders across every industry each week on Instagram, and this week, we’re highlighting the woman behind those signature cupcakes. Meet: Candace Nelson: the founder of Sprinkles and Pizzana. We caught up with Candace to learn how she made the jump from investment banking to cupcakes, how women can support other women, and more.
What has been the icing on the cupcake moment of your career?
8 months after opening our first Sprinkles bakery, we got the call from The Oprah Winfrey Show! They asked if we could be in Chicago the next morning with 300 cupcakes. I had no idea how I would make it happen, but when Oprah calls, you say “yes!”
Was there a singular moment that made you jump from investment banking to starting Sprinkles?
It was a journey more than a moment. After the dot com bust, I found myself out of a job, so I enrolled in culinary school to hone my pastry skills and took the leap to turn my passion into a career.
How long did it take you to perfect your first cupcake recipe?
The whole process took about 2 years! I was constantly tweaking all my recipes until right before we opened Sprinkles.
Where do you see Sprinkles in five years?
I hope to see Sprinkles continue to innovate with new flavors and products. We are also looking to open international bakeries.
What has been the biggest lesson you learned after starting Pizzana?
I thought the quick service food business was tough, but it doesn’t hold a candle to running a full-scale restaurant. Margins are very slim – you can have every seat booked in your restaurant and still lose money if you’re not continuously optimizing.
Did you face a learning curve when you jumped from cupcakes to pizza?
When I opened Pizzana, I wanted to maintain the same commitment to quality and experience that made Sprinkles so special. So I applied the same principles to every decision I made — whether it was restaurant design or ingredient vendors.
“I'm a believer in collaboration and that we're stronger together.”
How can women support other women?
I’m a believer in collaboration and that we’re stronger together. I had so many women help me when I was starting Sprinkles, so I love when I can speak with female entrepreneurs who are just getting started.
How do you practice self-care?
I exercise every morning. To me, exercise is a form of meditation, clearing my mind and charging me up for the day ahead.
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