If you live in the Boston area you may or may not know of a little bakery called Sweet Tooth. Sweet Tooth was opened three years ago on West Broadway in South Boston, an area that not many people deemed an appropriate destination for a pretty little bakery. Luckily the bakery was ahead of the trend that was coming for the area. South Boston began a massive redevelopment around the same time as the bakery's opening with the advent of new retail shops, restaurants and luxury condos. The Whitey Bulger and Irish Mafia days are nearly a thing of the past. Yes there are still public housing projects and lots of bars, but there are also many young professionals, new families and businesses. Although the economy is in a slump, this little bakery is booming with business. I guess when times get tough people must want to "get their sweet on" as the bakery's slogan claims.
I have had the pleasure of working with owners David Venter (the marketer) and Glenn Quirion (the baker) over the past few months. They graciously let me into their business and kitchen to learn about baking and operating a small food business. I really admire and relate to these guys because, like me, they both left steady corporate jobs for the unknown world of self-employment. Their bakery has been their life since it opened. Although they have had some help, most notably from David's mother Mrs. Venter who can often be seen at the register, they have essentially done everything from food production to PR on their own. Glenn, the baker, regularly puts in 16 hour days 6 days a week churning out some of the most decadent pastries and desserts I have ever seen. The Sweet Tooth style of desserts could be defined as amped up classics. You won't find fancy french pastries you can't pronounce, but you will find the likes of cupcakes topped with chocolate dipped strawberries, turtle brownie bars, cheesecake topped with cinnamon apples, mini butterscotch cream pies and many others. Some of the bakery's best sellers are their half pound perfectly round and super chewy cookies that come in 5 flavors and are baked fresh daily. Others come for the cherry or peach strudel wrapped in homemade puff pastry. The red velvet cakes and cupcakes topped with cream cheese icing and red roses are always fast to fly out the door. Red Velvet is a traditional southern style cake that is a deep burgundy color and has a subtle chocolate flavor. It is to die for. In the summer months you can pick up one of the strawberry shortcakes that I photographed (the addition of the blueberries was a special for Fourth of July). This cake feeds 10 people and sits almost 8 inches high. The moist vanilla cake is dressed with sweetened homemade whipped cream, enormous strawberries and drizzled with white chocolate for $25. Besides over the top pastries, pies, cookies and brownies, Sweet Tooth is probably best known for their custom cakes. Glenn can bring your wildest dreams to life through butter, sugar and flour. He has made a replica of the Hampshire House in Beacon Hill, a modular lego cake for the Children's Museum grand reopening, a Moet Chandon champagne bottle, puppies, sharks, baby bassinets and everything in between. One of the most popular cakes for kids is a cake with a Barbie doll coming out of the center. For baby showers they can even make individual baby blocks for those that don't want a traditional cake. The choices are endless at Sweet Tooth. I hope that the next time you are in need of a sweet treat for a special occasion or even just a Friday night dinner at home that you will support a local business like Sweet Tooth. You can also visit their booth in front of the Tall Ships in Boston's Seaport district all weekend long where they will be selling their signature cookies and showing off some of their custom cake work.
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