It is the sweet pride of the Chatham neighborhood in Chicago’s South Side.

Welcome to the Brown Sugar Bakery where slices of comfort and celebration have been dished out for more than two decades. Founded in 2002 by Stephanie Hart, this southern-style bakery on 75th Street has grown from a neighborhood gem to a nationally acclaimed jewel for its rich and delicious cakes and baked goods.

Hart says her vision for Brown Sugar Bakery is deeply rooted in family tradition.

“Because of the kind of cakes that I made representing my grandmother, I wanted to be in the type of neighborhood my grandmother would have lived in,” Stephanie said with pride.

This connection to heritage and community has been key to the longevity and success of this much beloved bakery.

“I had no idea that Brown Sugar Bakery would grow into the business that it is today,” Stephanie said during a recent interview perched behind a counter as customers lined up for their sweet treats. “My sole and only goal was to provide cakes to our community. I really did not know that it would grow beyond our community and become Chicago’s cake. And now, that we ship nationwide, we have become America’s cake. And I love it.”

Brown Sugar Bakery has been featured prolifically on local news in Chicago, The Great American Holiday Bake off on Food Network and has also been named Best Bakery by the Steve Harvey Show!

Stephanie’s commitment to quality never seems to waiver despite all the media attention. If anything, she says she wants to push harder to grow her business to more corners of the country.

“I think the future for Brown Sugar Bakery is we are moving into helping the other brands,” explained Stephanie. “So, now I make cakes for other brands that have gotten to have an audience under their own brand names. I also am making candy now. I think a big difference for us is corporate gifting and that we’ve been shipping to the customers and sending products across the country.”

The bakery’s rising reputation means more business and that required a new 10,000-sq. ft. building to be purchased at 76th and Western, made possible by a grant from the State of Illinois. This move not only facilitated the growth of the bakery, but also preserved local jobs.

An inspiring memory
Stephanie’s path to a baking career was unconventional and deeply personal. Unlike many in the baking field who learn their craft at a young age, Hart came to baking as an adult, driven by a craving for her favorite deserts as a girl.

“As a child, I was not a baker,” said Stephanie. “This is a learned skill as an adult. Before baking, when I was little, all the primo cakes came from the ladies that were older. They were my grandmother’s age. I actually let my grandmother leave the planet without learning how to bake, because she was so good at it. I was craving a pineapple coconut cake, which was my choice for my birthday. So, I taught myself how to bake.”

Stephanie says it was not easy to learn how to bake and that the journey has had its ups and downs.

“I think the thing that attracted me to baking, once I began to get good at it, is baking is a science. To be good at it, once you get something right, all you have to do is the same thing over and over. That appeals to me,” Stephanie shared.

The name of her business comes from a controversial song by the legendry classic rock band, The Rolling Stones. The band’s hit, “Brown Sugar,” holds special significance for Stephanie, which she says was rooted in her experience growing up in Chicago’s western suburbs during the late 1970s. The Rolling Stones stopped playing “Brown Sugar” on tour because of accusations that the song glorifies slavery and sexual violence. For her part, Stephanie reimagined the meaning of the song and decided to use its popularity to assert her own identity in the face of racism.

That blend of personal history, cultural context, and culinary passion layered the foundation of Brown Sugar Bakery, infusing each creation with a story that goes far beyond flour, water and sugar.

One sweet business
At the heart of the success of Brown Sugar Bakery is its signature sweet: caramel cake.

“We make one of the best caramel cakes in the city,” Stephanie stated with a sprinkle of soft laughter. “I will tell you that the secret to making caramel is love, love, and more love.”

The menu at the bakery is a delicious journey through Stephanie’s best childhood memories. Staples at the bakery include rainbow sherbet cake inspired by her love for rainbow sherbet, as well as a turtle cake born from her fondness for the candy. Customers can also order individual slices of cake in the store and a wide variety of cupcakes including Red Velvet, Lemon Jumbo and German Chocolate.

“I just try to make cakes from the memories of things that I loved eating as a child,” said Stephanie.

The growth of Brown Sugar Bakery has been nothing short of remarkable. Stephanie has been able to expand her team to more than 40 employees. That evolution aligns well with Stephanie’s passion to provide employment opportunities to those who might face challenges elsewhere. The bakery’s reputation has spread so far and wide that even Vice President Kamala Harris paid a visit to Brown Sugar Bakery in 2021.

“I am so thankful for the accolades and the love that the nation shows me,” said Stephanie. “When Vice President Kamala Harris came to the bakery, she not only made us feel good, but it made our whole neighborhood feel good. It also made people appreciate us as a small business just a little bit more to know that these national celebrities would actually stop by our bakery.”

The bakery’s impact extends beyond its walls. Stephanie says she feels a sense of deep responsibility to her neighborhood and recognizes the importance of circulating dollars in the South Side.

“I am completely at their beck and call because this neighborhood is about people,” said Stephanie, emphasizing her commitment to giving back and reinvesting in a city that has supported her.

“People come in and they give me compliments. It really makes me feel good.

“I love being a retailer, because there is nothing better than making people happy. I love the retail part of the business, because I get immediate gratification,” exclaimed Stephanie with laugh. “I think the secret to my success is offering a community exactly what they want. Being able to bake what they love and to provide them cakes for their celebrations that they will enjoy.”

Pride in Chicago
No matter how big Brown Sugar Bakery becomes, Stephanie says the roots of her business will always remain grounded in the South Side of Chicago. Stephanie says the best way to reduce crime in her neighborhood is to ensure the availability of jobs.

“The message that I want to tell people about my community is, yes, you could look at it at the South Side of Chicago and it’s full of crime, but the South Side of Chicago is also full of entrepreneurs and very smart people that go on to do very great things.

“The talent that’s in my community is amazing. We have businesses in our community that have been here 70 years. I would say do not sleep on urban communities. Yes, we may have crime, but even more businesses have offered a lifeline. More people can go into business and survive and employ people, and that’s how you get crime down. Offer jobs and make it so that businesses can thrive in a community, and you’re going to have lot less crime.”

Stephanie concedes that she is blazing a trail for other minority, female-owned businesses in Illinois Her message to those who can help small business is clear.

“I want to say to the people of Illinois and especially our legislators, that it is so important to support and build up African-American businesses in their communities, so that they can provide service,” explained Stephanie. “Illinois is one of the top states for urban manufacturing so that we can keep industries going.

“Also, investing in women-owned and minority businesses means we will not lose industry. So, it’s important that our legislators pay attention to us because we are as important as the Big Ten. By Big Ten, I mean we are as important as the large companies that everyone pays attention to, and everyone thinks those are the people that are driving this economy. But actually, the people that are driving the Illinois economy are small businesses just like mine.”

How to bake and keep baking
Stephanie understands with all the accolades and acknowledgment coming her way, there is no time to rest.

“I think the secret sauce to business success is a four-letter word, and that four-letter word is grit. You can win, but you’ve got to be tough, you’ve got to be persistent, and, you know, for those people that say, ‘Oh, you need a passion,’ I think way more than passion, you need determination,” said Stephanie.