Pelham’s Michele Domenici insists that she’s “a mom first.” It’s a fitting statement since Simply Sweetz Boutique, the candy store and bakery she opened in Pelham in May, started at home. “When my daughter was born about 10 years ago, I started baking and doing fun birthday themes,” she says. Today, Domenici and her cake designer, Deana Spirito (also a mom), make stunningly creative and tasty themed cakes for birthdays, weddings, and special occasions. Cake commissions have ranged from a bride and groom dressed in formal attire to Louis Vuitton print to a great white shark bursting from water. The store also offers a full selection of candy, chocolates, and cupcakes that you can preorder or grab on the go. But for Domenici, the most important thing is helping the client make special memories: “Even if it’s just for that moment, it’s a good feeling.”
For Lilly Teich, owner of Dive in Sweets (www.facebook.com/Diveinsweets) in Armonk, becoming a mom to sons Jaxen and Jake inspired her to fulfill her childhood dream of running a candy company. Dive in Sweets, which opened in May, creates elaborate custom candy tables for special events. “I always noticed when I went to parties that there was something missing,” she says. “Something that would bring the party to life.” She seeks to fill that void with fantastical—and Pinterest-worthy—assortments of candy and sweets, displayed in decorative glass jars and accented with personalized signage and décor. Every table is painstakingly customized to the client’s preferences, and arrangements have varied from a kid-centric Cookie Monster assemblage to an elegant display of white- and cream-colored candy, flowers, and pillar candles that wouldn’t be out of place at a wedding. “And you’d be surprised,” says Teich. “Adults take a lot more candy than the kids do. They fill up those bags like you have no idea.”
