Home is where the heart is, or where the kids are, or where the food appears! Lolisa Grover of Bolingbrook holds down a job outside the home while managing the lives of her six children and dreaming of her own bakery, an idea that was born at an early age.
"Ever since I was little, I used to always watch my mom in the kitchen baking. So, as soon as I was able to, I picked up different things and started baking for my family," Grover said.
ABC7 Chicago cooked up her dream for a day at the cupcake bakery Sprinkles to see if this business is really as sweet as it looks.
"Everyone who comes in is excited. I mean, it's cupcakes. It's not super serious. Everybody's very easy going and always happy --- like I can make someone's day just because they come and get a cupcake or get to be a part of birthdays and weddings and those really big milestones in people lives, which is awesome," said Sprinkles GM Maura Weber.
Maura showed Lolisa every aspect of the business, which churns out well over a thousand cupcakes a day. From the order taking to the cupcake making, it was like a backstage pass to a wonderful world of sugar.
Not to be left out of the excitement, I had to take a turn with the spatula.
"You're doing great," Lolisa said to her.
Then, it was game on -- our own version of cupcake wars. It was Lolisa the baker who won Maura's votes and the confidence to get out there to the front to bring in the customers.
And with that, the baker had the budding idea of what a day in the life behind the counter would be like, as well as the rewards of a job well done.
We sat down at the Sprinkles counter and savored our day of sweet success and Lolisa's plans for the future.
"I'm just very excited for this experience. I thank you guys for allowing me to be here at Sprinkles, and I can't wait," she said.
Lolisa says she gets such joy out of baking, and there's always desert on the table. Right now, the University of Michigan grad's business pursuits are simmering for the sake of the children, but just one day, her bakery dreams will be on the front burner.
For more information, visit www.sprinkles.com.
