Sugar Sweetery in Rancho Cordova use cookies, events to uplift LGBTQ+ voices
Justine and Candice Cabanilla joke that they run on no sleep to juggle their thriving baking company and their small business community organization.
The foodie power couple have been everywhere from the grand marshal’s car at the Sacramento Pride Parade to the Food Network, but their bread and butter — or cookies and cream — is Sugar Sweetery, a custom-order bakery based in Rancho Cordova.
For the nine years it has been in operation, the business has been a two-woman show, with the pair splitting up the work developing elaborate and colorful cookie sets, cakes and other desserts. Now, the company has more than 12,000 Instagram followers and a loyal clientele.
Justine began Sugar Sweetery as a side gig, taking the opportunity to make money from a hobby she was always passionate about. She started bringing her favorite bakes to her workplace when she worked as an accountant, and her co-workers started requesting custom orders.
“(Baking is) like a love language for me,” Justine said. “Feeding people desserts was my letter to them.”
In 2022, Sugar Sweetery’s success helped Justine fulfill a lifelong “goal and dream”: Being on a Food Network show. She was one of four contestants on the first episode of the network’s “Halloween Cookie Challenge,” and despite not winning the $10,000 prize, the bakery’s sugar cookie offerings and cookie decorating classes soared in popularity, Justine said.
One of Justine’s favorite aspects of making custom cookie sets is helping her clients feel special, she said.
“As somebody who has a very unique name, it wasn’t found on those personalized keychains anywhere,” she said. “To be able to put somebody’s name on a cookie — and they can’t find their name anywhere else on anything — I know that feels good.”
In addition to private orders, the bakery creates desserts for some big names across the region. This month alone, Sugar Sweetery has catered pride events for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and the Crocker Art Museum, making rainbow-colored cookies with icing text in a curly font reading “pride wins” and “drag is not a crime.”
When they’re not designing, baking, decorating or celebrating their clients’ big days, Candice and Justine are helping area small businesses make connections and expand their reach through Candice’s organization, Sac Vendor Connect.
“We as Sugar Sweetery did so many events, I would meet just the most amazing vendors,” Candice said. “I was like, ‘You know what? I really want to just start compiling and making my own markets where everybody can be seen.’”
LGBTQ+ pride has been a central aspect of Sugar Sweetery and Sac Vendor Connect from their inception, Candice said. After being honorably discharged from the military for “homosexual activity” under the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy, she knew she would never stop speaking up for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.
“If we be quiet (amid the current political climate), some bad stuff could really happen,” she said.
Throughout June, Sac Vendor Connect is hosting the Big Gay Passport, a series of six pop-ups featuring queer-owned businesses in the region.
“My goal there is to get as many queer-owned businesses out front,” Candice said. “We really exhaust ourselves to just make sure that our voices are heard. ... That’s kind of what we do all June, is make sure people know that we’re out here.”
For the event’s third annual iteration, Sac Vendor Connect is stopping at Strapping Sacramento in Oak Park and midtown, the Strapping Community Center in the midtown Ice Blocks, Poppy + Pot in Curtis Park, Swoon Studio in Folsom and Movement Brewing in Rancho Cordova.
Candice’s community advocacy was most recently honored when she was chosen to be a grand marshal at the 2025 Sacramento Pride Parade, receiving nominations from small businesses she works with through Sac Vendor Connect.
“That was really cool, just hearing how I’ve impacted people’s lives,” she said.
The organization still dedicates the other 11 months of the year to featuring a diverse community of vendors, but June is “all about queer,” according to Candice.
“You want to actually support queer-owned businesses, not just rainbow-themed (companies),” Justine said.
What I’m Eating
A portal to New Orleans exists on the corner of Del Paso Boulevard and El Camino Avenue.
Walking into Colo’s Southern Cafe transports hungry diners to the bayou. A smoky haze permeating the restaurant promises freshly fried seafood, chicken and beef, while co-owner Tamar McCree’s hospitality invites friends and families to kick back over a card game while waiting for their meal.
On a relatively calm Monday evening, it took about 45 minutes to receive an order of three plates, but it was well worth the wait.
The plate of braised oxtails ($32 with two sides, $22 a la carte) came steaming on a bed of white rice, already slipping off the bones by the time they were picked up for a bite. They paired best with tangy, tender collard greens and creamy baked mac and cheese, which had just gone in the oven when I ordered.
Fried items all had a similar breading — crunchy and gritty with breadcrumbs — seasoned to fit each dish’s profile. A silky, flaky catfish filet ($23) was lightly salted and peppered enough to let the fish’s mild sweetness shine through, while a thick fried Cajun chicken tender ($23) was dusted with sweet-and-smoky Cajun seasoning.
Of course, Colo’s wouldn’t be a restaurant honoring Louisiana’s cuisine without the iconic po’boy ($9-16, depending on protein), but it’s only available until 4 p.m. as a lunch option.
Colo’s Southern Cafe
Address: 2326 Del Paso Blvd., Sacramento
Hours: 1 p.m.-7 p.m. daily
Phone: 916-692-8948
Drinks: Mimosas, soft drinks, flavored lemonades, Kool-Aid
Vegetarian options: Extremely limited
Noise level: Moderate to loud
Outdoor seating: Small patio in front of the restaurant
Openings & Closings
▪ El Dorado Hills wine bar Barrel and Bliss opened Tuesday after a brief delay. The new wine bar — at 4359 Town Center Blvd., Suite 110, in the El Dorado Hills Town Center — opened Tuesday evening with a launch event, though the bar’s website and social media indicated it initially planned to open Friday.
▪ Meow Me Cafe, 1714 14th St. in Sacramento, opened a cat-themed storefront in early June. The downtown bakery and cafe’s Instagram showcases playful menu items including a green swirled matcha toast and illusion potato bread: A bread roll decorated to look like a russet potato freshly pulled from the ground, stuffed with a bacon-potato filling. On its website, custom birthday cakes and colorful mille-crepe cakes are available for advance ordering.
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