The Scene

Balancing A t

Newlyweds' new bakery finds the
balance between healthy and tasty.

ADRIEN CHANDLER

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

B

rian and Lisa Hack wanted to
start a business of her own.
She was working long,
hard hours in the restau-
rant business, running the kitchen at
Ridley's Bakery Café in Troy. He was
a music and video buyer for Tower
Records in Birmingham. Now, the
couple appear to have hit on their
own recipe for success.
Their Royal Oak bakery, Sugar
Kisses, serves up a wide variety of
delectable treats, from homey
brownies, cookies and scones to ele-
gant, tiered party cakes enrobed in
fondant, to something called an
Opera Torte that Brian, 28, calls

our version of
seven-layer cake."
But what makes
their little neigh-
borhood pastry
nook stand out is
the ingredients
list. These good-
ies are wheat-free,
and many are
gluten-free as well
as vegan. Sugar
Kisses offers pas-
Sugar Kisses' double chocolate cylinder, raspberry cheesecake and apricot almond rugelach.
tries made mostly
of spelt and
brown rice flour.
Besides, Lisa had already been bak-
The Hacks use some white sugar, but cases are clearly marked.
Why
start
up
what
they
call
a
natu-
ing
treats for her nieces without any
also turbinado sugar, honey and
ral
pastry
shop?
As
the
Hacks
did
their
artificial
ingredients because of the
maple syrup as sweeteners. The
market
research,
they
slowly
began
to
girls'
allergy
problems. "We were
ingredients for items in the bakery
realize that there weren't very
thinking a lot of children must have
many places serving this kind this going on," she says.
of product.
It took months of planning and
"We were just going to
location-hunting before the Hacks
open a pastry shop, period,"
settled on their South Washington
says Lisa, 33, who also
Street spot, somewhat off the beaten
worked as an assistant pastry
path of Royal Oak's downtown core.
chef at the Whitney in
It's a former pizza place next door to
Detroit. "When we started
Royal Oak Lanes. "It was available,"
asking people what they
quips Brian, who adds they had
wanted and looked around,
looked as far away as Whitmore
we decided this would be a
Lake and Mount Clemens before
wonderful niche to get into." they made their decision.

"

Above: Lisa's a star in the kitchen.
Right: Lisa and Brian prepare the ingredients.

11/14

2003

86