Chestermere resident, Stephanie Henry has always had a passion for baking for herself and her family, but now she’s turned her passion into a home-made business, For Sweet Sakes.
When Henry attended the professional cooking program at SAIT in 2012, the baking class was her favourite, however, it wasn’t until recently that she took the plunge into baking for others.
“I saw someone post about hot chocolate bombs in a Facebook group I am part of, and I knew instantly it was something I wanted to offer,” Henry said.
Adding, “It was magical seeing the marshmallows explode out of the chocolate shell, it was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I ordered the molds the same day and started offering them the same week.”
To make the hot chocolate bombs, Henry uses a silicone mold to make the chocolate shells, and she offers five different chocolate sell flavours.
Once the chocolate shells are complete, she fills the inside of the shells with flavoured hot chocolate mixes and marshmallows.
Henry then adds flavour toppings depending on the hot chocolate bomb flavour.
As the hot chocolate bombs’ popularity increased, For Sweet Sakes went from only Henry to a staff of six people.
“There was a ton of learning we had to do very quickly. We also had some trouble sourcing the amount of chocolate and ingredients we needed because we just needed so much. In the end, we learned a ton and will be better for next year,” Henry said.
Despite the challenges, Henry has hit many milestones as a business owner throughout the year.
“Being featured on CTV, as terrifying as it was, was something I will never forget and be forever grateful for,” Henry said.
“I also just have to add how proud I am of my team during the past six weeks. We had what seemed like an impossible task with the amount of orders we had, but everyone stayed positive and worked so hard and it was definitely a highlight for me seeing how they all worked together,” she said.
Going forward, Henry is hopeful to open a For Sweet Sakes storefront and is excited to announce Valentine’s Day options.
Without the support of Chestermere residents, the success of For Sweet Sakes wouldn’t have been possible.
“I could go on forever about how grateful I am for Chestermere. I have the best clients in the world and love each and every one of them,” Henry said.
