SusieCakes’ Susan Sarich on How to Celebrate Everything

Susan Sarich founded SusieCakes bakery with a vision of creating a workplace that made it possible for hospitality & culinary professionals to have progressive careers in foodservice while still maintaining a work/life balance. With benefits like rescue pet adoption fee donation and earlier closing hours handy for those who have children, SusieCakes seems to take the celebration cake for a great place to work. Next step? National cake domination.

Currently living in Los Angeles, Susan travels the county in search of great desserts and has been named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year. We sat down with Susan to discuss the best LA sushi, where to take your parents (or your work besties) for a steak celebration, long walks on the beach in Carmel, and how an In-N-Out Burger fits into all this.

On the next step for SusieCakes:

We are still in growth mode! The long-term vision is to be a household name and a national brand synonymous with celebration. We have recently opened 4 new locations in Texas and it’s going very well. Texas is the new frontier for us given the strong culture of celebrations there. The demographics of the locations where we are headed closely mirror the demographics of our most successful California bakeries.

On what celebration means to her:

Sharing any type of special occasion with another person. It could be the smallest thing – for example, guests come into SusieCakes on a weekday afternoon to get cookie for no reason at all and say that it’s a celebration itself.

On how she does Fri-yay:

The Bar Lounge at Hotel Bel-Air - it’s my retreat on Friday nights to celebrate the end of the week. The outdoor heaters are cozy and they have blankets for chilly nights - it’s heaven to eat under the palm trees & stars. I love their burger and truffle fries. They also have these great ice cream bars that are hand-dipped like the old-fashioned “magic shell” ones.

On her LA sushi fixes:

in Brentwood Katsuya is always my go to for sushi, even though it can get pretty “scene-y” there! I order the tuna on crispy rice - one of their signature dishes. It’s one of those hyped dishes that actually live up to the hype. I also like a sunny Sunday afternoon at Nobu in Malibu - they have an expansive outside patio. I like to go with a group and get an assortment of sushi and sashimi - try the Omakase if you are on the adventurous side. But keep in mind, it’s not a flip-flops and ponytail kind of place . . you at least need your Valentino flip flops (laughing)!

On where to go when in LA:

Wally's in Beverly Hills is an extraordinary wine shop that serves many wines by the glass; I like it for an afternoon rose & their awesome cheese board.

When my parents visit from Chicago, we go to Vincenti in Brentwood - one of the higher end Italian restaurants in LA. They treat my family like their family; they make my parents feel incredibly special, which in turn, makes me feel good.

For breakfast, it’s Farm Shop in the Brentwood Country Mart, run by former French Laundry alums. It’s a farm-to-table menu in a historic old-fashioned mart from 40s-50s that has remained untouched – a nostalgic flashback. I get the scrambled eggs - it’s actually very difficult to get scrambled eggs made well! They also make their own seasonal preserves that I love on everything.

For birthdays, Mastro's (steakhouse) in Beverly Hills. They have great old school martinis and someone at the piano playing Sinatra. It reminds me of Chicago. I recommend the twice baked potatoes and any kind of steak – they are all amazing. Make sure you have their “butter cake” for dessert. I could literally eat it every day - it’s my top recommendation in LA for cake (at a restaurant!)

Not that we don’t love the sound of Katsuya tuna and Masto’s butter cake… but on keeping it real:

I’m a Midwest girl at heart; I grew up in Chicago and given I travel quite a bit for business, I love grabbing Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in the airport. I get simple, brewed coffee and like how they put in the milk & sugar in for you. I also love Dairy Queen and always order vanilla soft serve dipped in a butterscotch shell.

On the ideal weekend (celebration or not!)

It would be a Carmel-by-the-Sea day. I would stay at one of the many B&Bs there, grab coffee at Carmel Valley Coffee Roasters and take Felix, my Bichon Frise, for a long walk on the beach. Carmel is one of the few beaches you can take your dog off leash in California. Lunch is at Casanova - sitting outside and enjoying mussels and a nice bottle of Pinot Noir. Then I would go shopping downtown. I’m a candy fanatic, and there’s a store called Cottage of Sweets where they have jars old-fashioned candy – and tons of different varieties of licorice that are hard to find. Then I would go to the Spa at Pebble Beach for a massage. They have awesome snacks in the waiting room - dried fruit, gluten free muffins, homemade granola, pomegranates, persimmons - not just your usual orange slices. My favorite Carmel dining recommendation is The Bench, which overlooks the 18th hole at Pebble Beach. The sunset is extraordinary. You can sit around a fire pit and order this amazing balloon bread. They make it in their wood burning pizza oven and the crust comes in two pieces, like a huge balloon, brushed with olive oil.

On celebrating in San Francisco:

House of Prime Rib (the “Hopper (HOPR)”) - usually you can’t get a reservation unless you call 6 months out. When we opened our first bakery in the Bay Area, we had dinner there for all the managers. It’s so fun and always perfect for any celebration. They take a polaroid for you & put it in a paper frame - I have many of those on my desk and they always make me happy.

On her favorite frozen sweet treat:

Given we don’t serve ice cream at Susiecakes, my place to go is Sweet Rose in Santa Monica. My favorite flavor is Peach in the summer and Pumpkin in the winter. They make their own hot fudge as well. I also really like Salt & Straw - their 10 different seasonal flavors are the best. In October, they had a “Candy-Copia” flavor where they made their own candy bars and put them in the vanilla ice cream. I like that they are purists and open about what ingredients they are using.

And on that note...

I have tremendous respect for In-N-Out - they do just one thing: burgers - and they do them very well. If you try to be all things to all people, you'll get lost in the mix. At SusieCakes, we want be known for cakes and celebration - we are super clear about that. You don’t go to SusieCakes for a smoothie or an egg sandwich. The menu is almost the same as it was 12 years ago, with the addition of some seasonal specials, which are always true to who we are- an All American, homestyle bakery.

In terms of other brands, I also like Dry Bar... I like the simplicity - their brand says, “we blow dry your hair, that’s what we do, that’s what you came here for.” You get the same experience in any of their locations. Same thing with Soul Cycle - consistent experience & interior design (As a side note, Susan confesses that SoulCycle and Equinox yoga classes are her secret weapon!)

On a surprising fun fact:

Most people don't know that I created the company and brand to create more opportunities for women in foodservice. Twenty-five years ago when I was working for Hyatt, I didn’t see many females at the top of the organization. It’s not a reflection of Hyatt, but the fact that it can be challenging to have a progressive career as a female in hospitality.

On what keeps her up at night:

What doesn’t keep me up at night?? In all honesty, I care the most about product quality and high levels of service. I have an extreme attention to detail whether it’s the Susieblue sharpie we use on the case signs or the placement of the napkins. Consistency is what makes successful brands successful.

On her service pet peeve:

Servers who put check down without asking for dessert. I always want dessert!