I’ve walked by Sugartown Bakery many times after hanging at my favorite hangout spot, Van Vorst Park with mini-chicpea. I never really thought to go into this adorable shop since I thought it was just a bakery specializing in cakes for weddings, bridal showers and various events. Little did I know it was an all-encompassing bakery selling everything delicious under the sun; cupcakes, treats, coffee, breakfast foods and now even gelato!
I first met Carmen, one of the owners at the HDSID board meeting. Carmen is an attorney and local business owner and she is the definition of “Lady Boss”. Carmen owns Sugartown bakery along with Evelyn who is also an attorney…. so if you guys think you have busy lives then these ladies take the cake (literally).
They invited me to visit Sugartown bakery and as soon as I walked in I felt like a 10-year-old girl in Sugar heaven with a hint of Alice in Wonderland….This place is so cute and whimsical, there is nothing like it in Jersey City. I ordered a nutritious lunch consisting of three cupcakes and a gelato and it was delicious!
What are your names?
Carmen Mendiola.
Evelyn Padin.
What do you do?
Evelyn: We’re a local neighborhood bakery. We do wedding cakes, we do cakes for christenings, children’s birthday cakes, Disney themed cakes, [and] we also do pies. Everything’s made to order fresh here and we do large sales with our cupcakes. We also offer all flavored gelatos, Baci Gelatos, they’re from Italy.
So it’s literally a sugar-town? Absolutely.
So how long has this bakery been around?
Evelyn: Going on a year and a half.
How did it start?
Evelyn: Carmen’s idea.
It was your idea? Where did the idea come from?
Carmen: It just came to mind, it’s a nice location, [and] it’s a nice area. There was nothing here, there’s kids that come by all the time, and you know we figured we’d put something on the corner that’s nice for the kids. It’s nice, it’s a lot of work. We’re proud of this.
Evelyn: We also host parties. We had a wedding here.
Are you a baker?
Evelyn: I know how to bake. I’m also a cook.
What’s your relationship?
Evelyn: We met in law school. More than twenty years ago.
Are you a lawyer too?
Evelyn: Yeah, we’re lawyers.
Carmen: Twenty plus years ago.
But you guys are lawyers that own a-gazillion businesses. Do you also own more?
Carmen: She’s part of the owner of Hard Grove Café.
Do you still practice law?
Evelyn: Absolutely. I’m a trial attorney.
How do you guys have time?
Evelyn: We have good help.
Carmen: Yeah we do. We wouldn’t be able to do it without the help that we have. Good support staff. Good relationship with them and they’re good people. And one of them is here, Alex, she’s been your bread and butter in the sense of, she runs it. She keeps it going. She keeps us together.
Evelyn: She raises the whips.
How did you come up with the recipes?
Evelyn: Come on, I’m a foodie. I love food.
You came up with all the…
Evelyn: The different concepts, yeah. Different ideas, Carmen threw it in. We even have Mojito cupcakes.
Mojito cupcakes? With booze in it?
Carmen: Yeah, with rum. Rum cupcakes. They help, they’re talented.
Evelyn: At any given time, we rotate what we have.
What’s the idea behind the name?
Evelyn: We were thinking, what would be something that people would remember? It’s some place you come to, to satisfy your sweet cravings, and we’re in downtown so we said “Sugartown.” That’s how we came up with the idea.
Do you guys have a preference of sweets? What’s your favorite item on the menu?
Evelyn: Chocolate.
Carmen: I love sweet and savory though.
Evelyn: I love the, when we have it, the chocolate pretzel cupcake. It’s fabulous.
Carmen: There’s one we make with peanut butter too. Anything with carrots for me. I’m a carrot person. Carrot cupcakes, the carrot cakes, that’s mine.
Evelyn: We also do a really good cannoli cake.
I noticed that you guys have food too, what’s in store?
Evelyn: We’re offering bagels, breakfast sandwiches. You know, something for people to come in during their lunch breaks, sit down, you don’t want a heavy meal, [and] you want a snack.
Evelyn: We also feature on our menu, breakfast items. You can get breakfast bagels, you can get eggs. We do breakfast tacos, omelets, things like that, light things.
And the gelato is new right?
Carmen: Gelato is absolutely new.
Evelyn: The neighborhood called for it. There’s nothing around and I think it’s a perfect pairing.We’ve got the school down the block, this is a school over here. We’re right near the park.
Carmen: This guy’s here every day with his little daughter, they bought the cake for her birthday. He’s here on a regular basis. It builds a relationship with your community which is nice. It’s fun for the kids and stuff.
Evelyn: You see the mother’s coming in here. You can come and get a good cup of coffee. We have great espresso, great cappuccino.
And it’s a great like child-friendly place. I can just like, come hang, let my kids…
Carmen: Run around.
Be all sugared-up…
Carmen: Wired-up with a bit of sugar.
Evelyn: It’s been known to happen.
So you guys do non-profit work?
Carmen: Last year, we started a 5k run. It’s a run / walk at Liberty State Park. So the proceeds benefit this organization called Women Rising. It’s a local charity and they help women to get back to the work force and it’s really rooted with domestic violence. So a lot of the gist of the women, and men, but primarily women that go through that organization have been in a domestic [violence] relationship.
This year it’s going to be our second annual, and we’re very proud of it. Last year we had a tremendous turnout, we had vendors and all that stuff. This year, the second annual is dedicated in memory to this little boy who was killed in a domestic relationship situation and the mother is a wonderful person that we know, she’s twenty-two. And we’re going to give her some of the proceeds from the run. So that’s July 19th, on a Sunday.
Evelyn: Women Rising is an arm of the YWCA. It’s noted to be the domestic violence place that everybody gets referred to here in Hudson County and it’s based in Jersey City. It’s run by nuns, it’s [a] not-for-profit, and their goal is financial independence for victims of domestic violence.
Carmen: Last year, we gave them a nice check for what we raised. It’s just bringing awareness and just things that we want to be able to help out [with].
Evelyn: The theme will be “Stop Domestic Violence.” That will be the theme for the 5k this year. It’ll be real nice.
Were you born in Jersey City?
Evelyn: Originally, I was born in Jersey City.
Do you have a favorite Jersey City hangout spot?
Evelyn: Hard Grove Café.
But it’s not open yet.
Carmen: It’s coming, don’t worry.
Anything else you’d like people to know about Sugartown Bakery?
Evelyn: We’re open six days a week and we’ve just started attending the farmers market over here at the Grove Street PATH. We’ll be there on…
Carmen: Thursdays.
So you’re going to sell cupcakes and stuff?
Evelyn: Yeah, we’ll bring cakes and all kinds of things.
Carmen: Outside of that, come down to Sugartown and have a good time.
437 Jersey Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07302, (201)-333-6600
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