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Behind the Sweets: Sharin Nathan Crafts Pumpkin Cupcakes at Sweet Sensations

Behind the Sweets
Lindsey Becker
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Published: October 16, 2012 Last Updated: August 1, 2019

Gallery

Gallery
Behind the Sweets: Sharin Nathan Crafts Pumpkin Cupcakes at Sweet Sensations

[Photographs: Lindsey Becker]

Sharin Nathan's path to owning her own bakery was not nearly as linear as her path to becoming a pastry chef. After a life-changing meal at Everest, Sharin decided almost on the spot that creating good food was her calling. She was a freshman in college at the time and had been thinking about majoring in Psychology, but soon after her first fine dining experience, she switched to English Literature (so that food writing jobs would be an option in the future) and talked to Chef Joho himself about culinary schools. He told her that he only accepted two stages a year from Kendall College. So from that point on her plan was to graduate college, attend Kendall College, and work at Everest.

With the first two steps completed, she applied to work in Chef Joho's kitchen. While all of her peers were applying to several places and had back-ups for their back-ups, Sharin interviewed only with Chef Joho and told him, "my dining experience here is what made me want to do this," and with that, she got the job and completed the final step in her plan. After working in pastry at Everest and various other high-end restaurants, she took several years off to raise her family. But once her children started school, she started to look for avenues back into pastry.

20121011-225834-Behind-the-Sweets-Sweet-Sensations-Cookie.jpg

Initially she thought she would rent kitchen space and sell pastries at farmers' markets, but one day, while scouring ads for a Hobart mixer, she found one; but it was attached to an entire bakery being sold as a business. She bought that bakery just over two years ago and turned it into Sweet Sensations Pastry, which provides high quality scones, cookies, and cupcakes to the Ravenswood community.

She recently let me take a peek at the production behind her outstanding cinnamon custard-filled pumpkin cupcake with cream cheese frosting. Click through the slideshow to learn more about this seasonal treat, which may only be around till Thanksgiving.

20121011-225834-Behind-the-Sweets-Sweet-Sensations-Cupcake-on-Pedestal.jpg

What's New On Serious Eats

Sweet Sensations Pastry

1918 West Montrose Ave., Chicago, IL 60613 (map)
sweetsensationspastry.com

All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.

Lindsey Becker Contributor to Behind the Sweets and Sugar Rush
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I've always been a writer, but it took me way too long to realize that food writing is where it's at (poetry and short stories are certainly not where it's at, as it turns out). In September 2011, I started Macmaker, a blog where I waxed poetic about opening a French macaron stand in a farmers market, reviewed macarons around Chicago, tried making them myself exactly 11 times, and ultimately gave up in favor of the less-volatile and equally delicious whoopie pie. While researching macarons, I remained a faithful devotee of Serious Eats and became a contributor to the Chicago site soon after it launched, a fact I am still dumbfounded by.

Columns

  • Meet and Eat: Lindsey Becker
  • Behind the Sweets: Kymberli DeLost Constructs a Playground of Chocolate at Storefront Company
  • We Eat All of the Cream Puffs at Beard Papa's in Chicago
  • 10 Non Cupcake Desserts We Love at Magnolia Bakery
  • A Sandwich a Day Chicago
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