‘Gimme some sugar’ brings something sweet to the valley
By Victoria Martinez
Solvang resident Lise Kirby is passionate about what she bakes.
“I try really hard to have things come from my heart,” she said.
She transformed what used to be a personal passion into “gimme some sugar,” an up-and-coming business in the Santa Ynez Valley. Offering unique and typically thematic “Sweets of the Week,” Kirby has found a way to share her family history of baking with good ingredients and a lot of love with her customers.
Kirby was born and raised in California after her parents came from the Midwest and the South, and she herself attended graduate school in the Midwest. The phrase “gimme some sugar” was one of affection that stuck with her, so when she decided to turn her passion into a business, it only made sense to use such a timeless name.
“Everything is very symbolic in my world,” Kirby said.
Many of her recipes are ones her mother has passed down to her. She is careful to preserve them as they were written and created, so she avoids substitutions and tries to use seasonal, local ingredients when possible.
“I grew up in a house where my mom always baked from scratch,” she said.
Each Sunday, Kirby sends out word about three “Sweets of the Week” on social media and through email. Customers order by Wednesday evening and pick up their freshly baked orders curbside on Friday. Her simple business model is an easy yet more personalized process that makes purchasing quality sweets less impulsive.
Since starting her business in February, Kirby has tried to meet the needs of her customers when it comes to custom orders and requests. She doesn’t believe sweet treats are just for special occasions and she loves seeing what she makes being shared with friends and families of her customers. She’s also included her 11-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter in her new venture. She believes they are her toughest critics.
Kirby is excited to see how her business grows. Gimme some sugar is her labor of love and she believes her treats speak for themselves.
“It’s like walking into grandma’s kitchen,” she said.
For more information, visit gimme some sugar’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/gimmesomesugarbakes/.
