Rising Stars: Meet Haley McNeil-Chapman of Grand rapids

Today we’d like to introduce you to Haley McNeil-Chapman.

Hi Haley, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Out of High school I went to pastry school and have my certificate in baking and pastry. I did my internship at a country club and worked there for about 1.5 years as an assistant pastry chef. Then I moved onto a high end restaurant and cafe as their head pastry chef, but didn’t care for doing plated desserts as much as I thought I would. I then worked at a full scale bakery, and was hooked for the bakery life. While the early morning hours are much to be desired, I liked the flexibility and creative freedom it gave me. In 2011 I opened my own bakery in the Cascade (Grand Rapids) MI area and have expanded twice. Opening up my first bakery was very scary and expensive. I took out a small business loan and maxed out my credit cards. I worked 6-7 days a week for the first year almost open to close. Slowly I was able to hire more staff which helped me grow.
Each year we try new product lines, trending items and make a lot of fun seasonal items. We wholesale to grocery stores, hospitals, and cafes.
In 2024 I opened a second location in the village of Caledonia MI, where we purchased the building and had to do a full renovation.
I am wife, mom of two boys and have a french bulldog. Life is very busy between my two stores and my family. I love baking and have been doing it for 22 years! I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
No, I feel like each year has some sort of challenge. Whether it’s staffing, equipment breaking, cost of goods, something always happens in the bakery. Ya just gotta deal with it and push forward.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We make everything from scratch! We make delicious cakes with mousse fillings and rich decadent cheesecakes. People rave about our scones and croissants. We use a European butter in all our croissants and danish pastries so they have a light, flaky texture. We bake everything fresh each day we’re open.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
There are always food trends, but I don’t see any drastic changes over the next few years.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sugarmommaspastries.com
• Instagram: sugarmommasbakery
• Facebook: Sugar Momma’s Bakery and Cafe