LaoAmericans

Somthavy Mathouchan is the 34-year-old owner of Sugar Bliss Sweets, a dessert bakery in Santa Barbara, California. Like many Laotian Americans, she comes from a mixed ethnic and cultural background, which she proudly brings together in her recipes and work:

Years ago, I researched my family tree and realized quickly that it was more of a family jungle instead. My Thai-Laotian paternal grandfather, Noumay Mathouchanh, was a senator and came from a large family of policemen, teachers, and many men who held ranks in the Army and Airforce. My father Khoun Kham, was a lieutenant in the Royal Airforce. He met my mother Vieng near her family’s shop, Saylom Motors, in Vientiane. She is Vietnamese, but was born in Thailand and raised in Laos. Her father, Xuan Dan Pham, was left with seven young children when my grandmother passed away. Being the eldest girl in the family, my mother helped raise her siblings at age 7.

Our family vacated Laos in 1975, rooting themselves in France, the Czech Republic and Australia. My father brought my mother and sister to Louisiana, and I was born there a year later. We lived in Texas for a brief time, then relocated to Southern California. Both of my parents immediately enrolled themselves in ESL classes and have been employed with the health department of Pomona and Los Angeles County for nearly 20 years. My sister Samaykham and I grew up in Los Angeles, where my brother Kunborum was born in 1991. My sister attended the University of California Santa Barbara and is a Financial Accountant. My brother graduated from high school last year and is currently attending East LA City College.

I was blessed to have been exposed to many different cultures during my upringing in Los Angeles. My parents taught us to be fearless and inventive cooks, open to trying anything at least once (or almost anything). Our meals usually consisted of a well-blended mix of foods from different hemispheres, intermingled with colors, textures, flavors and aromas so that they harmonized and complemented one another.

After high school, I migrated north and attended Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo as well as Santa Barbara City College. I have been in the accounting industry for over a decade, holding different titles, from Staff Accountant to Assistant Controller for large hotel properties nationwide. The perks were incredible. I had the chance to meet several chefs and pick up some invaluable cooking tips from them. Another perk was that I was able to travel with hotel discounts. It encouraged me to scope out the world, increase my knowledge and push the creative envelope.

After over a decade of spreadsheets, I needed a creative outlet. In October of 2007 I decided to finally fulfill my dream of starting my own baking company. Baking has been a passion of mine ever since I managed a sweet shop back in college. Over the years, as I gained more experience in baking, the yearning to have my very own shop grew. I started with an entrepreneurship class and began networking — the instructor is currently a mentor of mine. I attended any and every social event to promote my business, spoke with other business owners, took advantage of free government programs like SCORE, and attended industry conventions. I am still working full-time as a contract bookkeeper to help fund my baking career. It has been well worth every 60 hour work week and sleepless night that this passion of mine has increasingly necessitated. I have thoroughly enjoyed being a flavor chemist, and if I could, I would live in my kitchen.

Simply put, I bake with the intent to create a happy atmosphere. I create a variety of desserts from scratch, including cakes, cupcakes, cookies, truffles and bars. What makes Sugar Bliss Sweets special is that I also offer sweets for those with dietary restrictions. I design treats that will fit any persons’ special individual needs while still pleasing the tastebuds. Whether it needs to be gluten, dairy, egg or sugar free, I will handcraft something delicious that will taste just as good as the original. Aside from having the opportunity to be creative with my desserts, I am also getting to create new memories in my customers’ lives while helping them to enjoy sweets with less guilt. My favorite moments are experiencing the expressions of joy and gratitude that I get from my customers. To me it’s such a wonderful challenge to customize an order for someone, especially for someone with food sensitivities. Living with food allergies myself has increased my awareness and fueled my inspiration to develop sweets not only for those who enjoy sugar but also for those who cannot have it.

I have provided desserts for everything from large corporate events and weddings to holiday gatherings and children’s birthday parties. I have dished up sweets all over Southern California. I enjoy connecting with my customers through Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Blogspot, Gathering Guide, and Wedding Wire. I network with many vendors, chefs and caterers as well. I advertise special holiday menus through social media as well as pass out fliers. Contributions to charitable events have always been important to me and recently, I took part of the Nesquik Cupcake Challenge in Hollywood. I was also invited to audition for Food Network’s Cupcake Wars.The most rewarding advertising has been through word of mouth from repeat customers. My desserts have proven to speak for themselves.

In any given month, I usually bake for two large events along with many individual orders. Our largest production so far was for 1500 items. I currently have a few part-time employees and a great support group of friends who are always eager to be taste testers for me. I have a love of learning that encourages me to expand my horizons through taking classes to enhance my baking skills and through mentorships. I want to continue to build my clientele list and take on creative, talented interns. In the next 5 years, I plan to open a storefront for my baked goods and add a light breakfast and lunch menu.

If I could start all over again, I would have taken a temporary job in another bakery (in another town, of course) to refresh my skills. I have discovered that there are so many different aspects to owning a baking business–not only is it essential to have your recipes down solid, it is also imperative to run your business operations smoothly and effectively. Most importantly, be sure to network. I am so fortunate to live in a town where our community prefers to see small businesses thrive and does not support large food chains. The support has been greatly appreciated by me and will be reciprocated.

Somthavy Mathouchan
Sugar Bliss Sweets
P.O. Box 353
Santa Barbara, CA 93102
(805) 284-2007
www.SugarBlissSweets.com