When you bite into a homemade pastry from the soon-to-open Sugar Beach Bakery in Gulf Breeze, chef Jennifer Pimentel and her husband Frank want you to taste the real butter and nostalgia that transports you back to the “stuff that grandma was making from scratch.”
But, they don’t want to stop there. They also want you to be wowed when you step into their shop at 3489 Gulf Breeze Parkway by viral social media desserts you would otherwise only find in major cities, such as New York City or Miami.
“We also want to do very popular, nuanced things,” Jennifer added.
Whether you’re ordering a tried-and-true cinnamon roll or one of her original creations, the cornerstone of her bakery is being part of her customers’ memories. She thinks back to her own cherished memories baking has created, from baking for Hilary Clinton surrounded by Secret Service, or crafting a cake for her son’s first birthday covered in Star Wars movie memorabilia.
“Our theme is ‘baking memories,’ and that’s really important to us. The memories you had as a kid, the memories that you’re making for your baby shower, your anniversary, your bachelorette party. I want to be part of that. I want to be able to give them that experience,” Jennifer said.
Jennifer moved to Pensacola in 2021 after a rich career in California with a rich career working for the state’s top casinos, wineries and hotels, . She brought her career with her, baking for local restaurants and hotels, and named her own bakery after her love for the Gulf Coast’s beaches that she now calls home.
“I told my husband, ‘Oh my gosh, this sand looks like sugar!’” Jenifer said of developing her bakery’s name, Sugar Beach Bakery.
Now, the two have invested everything into a place of their own, which they hope to have open in early July.
“It’s just important to do what makes you happy, and I know this makes my wife really happy,” Frank said. “I think having her own bakery is just going to allow her to go back to being able to use her imagination and do what she wants to do. Our main focus is to bring that high-quality, fresh product.”
Once complete, the shop will be stocked with fresh loaves of handmade sourdough and focaccia, croissants, fresh seasonal fruit tarts, eclairs, cookies, raisin rolls and much more. Decorative cakes will be available to be cut fresh by the slice, while custom celebration cakes can be placed to order. She also has experience sculpting sugar art.
In addition to the baked goods, they will be churning up homemade ice cream and offering a variety of specialty coffee beverages and loose-leaf teas.
While there won’t be indoor seating, Jennifer does hope to add some outdoor seating.
“I do want maybe a couple of (tables) outside where you can sit, enjoy the weather, have your coffee and your croissant or Danish or your breakfast treat,” Jennifer said.
While Jennifer, who studied under French pastry chef Stéphane Tréand, will be doing most of the baking, her whole family is on board to help, even their children.
Their goal is to create a legacy they can leave behind one day.
“When we pass that on it goes to our children, kind of like Carlo’s Bakery up in Hoboken, New Jersey. His dad had it, and his sisters helped run it, and he’s there. I really want that for us and our family,” Jennifer said.
Frank, who especially favors Jennifer’s banana cream pie and brownies topped with a thin layer of ganache, is confident customers are going to like what they see.
“You bite into it, it just brings like a flashback of all these memories from when you were a kid, and I think she has that talent to be able to do that. I know she does,” Frank said. “So I think once people taste what she can make, and also her high standards, I think people are going to have memories flash back to what food should really taste like.”
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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Sugar Beach Bakery soon to bring homemade pastries, bread, coffee and more to Gulf Breeze
Reporting by Brittany Misencik, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
