Chef Sugar’s Cakes & Confections: Sweet Excellence

If you have a sweet tooth, you will love today’s blog! Today we have the pleasure of spotlighting our new wedding cake vendor, Colorado Springs-based Chef Sugar’s Cakes & Confections (CSCC). We recently had the opportunity to chat with Heidi Trelstad, the executive pastry chef at CSCC. Heidi has more than 10 years of experience in the culinary industry, and enjoys making creative, high-quality wedding cakes and a wide variety of other pastries and baked goods. If you are currently planning a wedding, or if you simply love delicious baked goods, we invite you to learn more about this unique cake studio, bakery, and learning center.

Garden of the Gods Club (GGC): Tell me a bit about Chef Sugar’s Cakes & Confections. How was it founded?

Chef Sugar’s offers a great selection of wedding cakes.

Heidi Trelstad (HT): We are a local bakery, and we specialize in custom wedding cakes and other cakes. We are known for our excellent sculpted cakes that look like something you would see on TV.  We are also a bakery and coffee shop that offers retail items such as cupcakes, cake pops, specialty pastries, and Wi-Fi. The layout of the bakery and coffee shop is open, so you can watch as the cakes are being decorated. For those who are interested in learning more about cake decorating, we also teach a variety of classes.

We will have been in business for two years next month, but we have been making cakes here in the Colorado Springs area since 2004 under another name. I’ve worked all over in locations such as Las Vegas, Phoenix, and a variety of culinary schools, but I love working here in Colorado near my family. I’ve always wanted a boutique-style pastry shop. Aesthetically, our bakery is decorated like a boutique. I used to be in the beauty business, so aesthetics are very important to me.  When customers come into our baker they enjoy décor that includes a wide variety of colors and paintings, as well as chandeliers. We like to put a different spin on the average.

GGC:  You teach classes on how to make cakes. What is the typical class experience like?

HT: We teach both baking and décor classes, but the bulk of our classes are on décor. With our appearance on the Food Network Challenge, people are very excited about cakes. Our classes are for all ages, but those that attend are generally 10 years old and older. While taking our classes, people will learn a variety of things, like how to make a purse cake or how to make holiday-specific cakes. For example, with Halloween coming up, we may teach a lesson on how to make a zombie cake.

We also have baking classes. In this area, for example, it’s important to know how to bake at a high altitude. So we’ll often teach people how to modify their favorite recipes so that they bake properly at a high altitude. Students will also learn the science of baking, and they can enjoy topic-specific classes such as bread baking, how to make French or Italian pastries, or how to make other specialty desserts.

GGC: In addition to a bakery, can people come in to sit down and enjoy a dessert?

HT: Yes, we feature different desserts that people can come in and enjoy, including cheesecakes, apple-bacon doughnuts with maple glaze, cinnamon rolls, and more. Everything changes all the time. People can also special-order any type of pastry they desire, from European-style to bon-bons and seasonal trends. People can expect something new and exciting.

GGC: What can brides who choose Chef Sugar as their wedding cake vendor expect?

HT:  We love to provide brides with the utmost service. And, this is my biggest goal, whether the customer is a bride or anybody else. We also strive to make our cakes both taste and look amazing. Often people will find that cakes have great flavor but sacrifice décor, or vice versa.  Because I’m both a professional chef and a cake decorator, it’s very important to me that cakes look and taste great. Our options are limitless, as we have some 80 flavors on our menu. We can also accommodate those with food allergies as best as possible. Also, we would love for somebody to bring in a design that we couldn’t create. If people want a replica of something from a magazine, a pattern of their dress on their cake, or pretty much anything else, I can do that.

If you are looking for an excellent wedding cake vendor, or if you would like to enjoy some delightful pastries, Chef Sugar’s Cakes & Confections offers an excellent selection. To learn more, we encourage you to contact Chef Heidi at 719.260.8600 or info@chefsugar.com.