Sweet Somethings

Not every entrepreneur sets out with the intention of launching a full-scale business. Fortunately for our taste buds, these folks turned their sideline ventures into thriving confectionaries.

- Kristen Birch & Shireen Fisher

Sweet LionHeart is an online, order-based patisserie studio in Salt River, Cape Town that has become known for its trendy, colourful confectionery masterpieces. Its product line ranges from cakes with Swiss meringue frosting to cake pops and cake toppers.

‘The business is the result of our passion for food and finding patisserie as a platform where my design experience could come through,’ Nikki says. ‘We wanted to do something together. It wasn’t planned – it just came to us.’

The business was started in September 2015 while Nikki was working as a graphic designer, and evolved from being based in a home kitchen to a commercial patisserie studio in February 2016. Karmen joined in August that year.

‘Growing up, I was into cooking, but after school I studied graphic design,’ says Nikki. ‘I did a short stint in advertising, then worked at an online magazine. To gain exposure, I started a blog and also did photography and styling, which rekindled my love of food.’ Nikki then did a part-time course at the Silwood School of Cookery, and discovered that she loved the pastry side because she could use graphic design in certain elements.

‘Neither of us grew up baking, though we’ve always had a passion for the food and beverage industry,’ Karmen adds. ‘We’ve known each other for 27 years, and we always spoke about joining forces some day but never thought it would involve cake, specifically. It was just a natural progression after Nikki did the cooking course.