It’s been more than 13 years since Treg and Monica Whitaker drove down Ballard Avenue in Downtown Wylie in search of the perfect home for the bakery they dreamed of opening. Treg and his wife Monica, a two-time champion of the popular show, the Food Network Challenge, knew they had found the right spot as soon as they stepped inside their current building and felt its old-timey charm. They chose wisely. Today, the Say It With Sugar Cake Shop is a Wylie institution that is well-known all over the metroplex for stunning custom cakes and sweet treats.
Getting Started
Originally from northeast Arkansas, Treg and Monica had spent years working in bakeries all over Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, perfecting their craft. They were well accustomed to the hard work that went into running a bakery, and decided it was time to open their own.
Monica’s sister lived in Wylie, which brought their search to the downtown area. Before settling in Wylie, though, they searched surrounding areas for the perfect location.
“We drove around to many different areas. Lots of them were closer to major highways in bigger cities, but when we drove down Ballard, we knew it was the place,” says Monica. There were three buildings available at the time, but when the Whitakers walked into their current location and saw the big, beautiful arches inside the building, “we knew it was where we wanted to be.”
On February 9, 2010, Treg and Monica Whitaker and Jeff and Melanie Borges opened Say It With Sugar at 106 N Ballard Avenue in historic downtown Wylie, Texas.
The bakery is bursting with charm and the smell of freshly baked cake. With its big brick arches that convinced the Whitakers to choose this spot, and walls covered with intricately decorated cakes that bring curious customers in off the street just to take a look, the Say It With Sugar location has become a Wylie landmark.
One reviewer on Yelp wrote, “All of the cakes on the walls were so artfully decorated and it takes talent to make cakes look that good. I was blown away!”
It’s true. Hand-decorated by Monica and Treg, the cakes on the wall are pieces of art – and there is something new to look at every time you step inside.
Opening and running a bakery wasn’t ever easy, though. Even with years of experience under their belts, opening their own location was “a lot harder than we expected.”
When the business first opened, they offered a small amount of ready-to-go treats. Today, they have more than 30 flavors of cupcakes available, not to mention cookies, cake balls, and of course, their specialty - custom cakes.
Everything is made in-house by Monica, Treg, and their employees. “We bake everything and decorate all the orders.”
Choosing Wylie
Because Monica’s sister lived in Wylie, the Whitakers were already familiar with the area. They immediately fell in love with their building and the unique architecture inside, but it was more than pretty arches and a brick interior that made them fall in love with their community.
“We love Wylie! We also live here, so it is close to our house. Wylie is a great community and still has that small-town feel, especially on Ballard. It is conveniently located in the metroplex, so we have people come from all around to get cakes from us. Lots of our customers drive 30-45 minutes to get a custom cake. And all the shops on Ballard help each other out, because you come downtown for one shop but end up in so many more.”
Say It With Sugar is popular with the locals, but it’s also a big draw to people outside of Wylie. Because Wylie is a central location to many surrounding cities, customers often come to pick up a cake and while they’re here, see what else Wylie’s historic downtown has to offer.
From Food Network to Downtown Wylie
Not only did the Whitakers bring years of experience to their new bakery, but they also brought some significant national recognition.
Monica, paired with her boss at the time, had dominated the popular baking show, Food Network Challenge, in 2009.
The show pits different teams of bakers against each other, giving them a theme and awarding a prize to the team that makes the best cake. “We did the Blind Date Challenge, the Carnival Cruise Challenge, and Amazing Anniversaries,” says Monica. They won gold in the first two episodes and silver in the third show. Monica and Treg put their share of the winnings towards opening their new bakery. The money, Monica says, “helped us survive opening Say It With Sugar Cake Shop. Because we wouldn’t get paid for a while, we used that money to help.”
They may not have been on a Food Network show lately, but they haven’t stopped making gorgeous cakes. Today, Say It With Sugar makes between 50 and 100 custom cakes every week. “We love to see our customers get super excited about their cakes when they pick them up.”
Pandemic Challenges
Say It With Sugar was well-established when the pandemic hit, but the effects of the shutdown were immediate. When everything shut down, that meant parties, gatherings, and weddings also stopped. “All our orders are paid in full,“ Monica explains, and when everything closed and parties stopped, “we had to refund a ton of money we had already taken in.” The face of their business changed, too. Instead of the big cakes they had been specializing in for years, they started making lots of tiny cakes as people started ordering for much smaller groups.
At one time, there were around ten employees working at Say It With Sugar. Today, this family-owned business consists of Monica, Treg, and one full-time employee. Their daughter is learning the family trade, too. “Our daughter also helps us decorate cakes and work on fondant characters, so it is great we get to work with her, also.”
The future of Say It With Sugar is looking pretty sweet. According to Monica, the future includes “many more years of making sweet treats for everyone in Wylie.”
Connect with Say It With Sugar Cake Shop
