Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
The Braselton News
Page 9A
Patrons love family-like camaraderie at ‘Sweet Escapes’ bakery cafe
In Focus
with Fil
Fil Jessee
filwrites@aol.com
In keeping with Costa
Rica’s tourism slogan, “no
artificial ingredients,” one of
her native sons and his wife
recently opened a Braselton
bistro where everything
served is fresh, genuine, and
made on the premises.
Dubbed “Sweet Escapes”
by managing owners Carlos and
Donna Carrillo, the small and
unpretentious cafe-bakery combo
was originally located at the inter
section of Hamilton Mill Road and
Buford Highway, where it enjoyed
a loyal following of regular cus
tomers for more than six years.
But in early 2007, the Carrillos
decided to close the Buford loca
tion and re-open in Braselton’s
Plaza 211 shopping center.
“With so many repeat customers
in Buford, we hated to move but
found it necessary to do so because
of a major parking problem. Many
of the students at Faith Academy
next door were parking in front of
our restaurant and, so, our patrons
just couldn’t find empty spaces for
their cars,” Carlos explained.
In the future, however, the
Carrillos hope to re-open their
original bistro in Buford while
continuing to operate the
Braselton business as well. But
in the meantime, it’s apparent
that many Buford-based custom
ers think highly enough of Sweet
Escapes to drive the extra distance
to Braselton.
According to long-time Buford
regular Michele Wonsey, “they
have a wonderful lunch menu, and
I tell everybody to try their club
sandwich and potato soup. And
the baked goods are the best I’ve
had, except maybe my own.”
Wonsey was particularly com
plimentary of the bistro’s cakes.
“They are truly homemade. The
five-flavor pound cake is my
favorite, and my husband’s favor
ite is their huge carrot cake,” she
said.
But according to Carlos Carrillo,
the house specialties are pineapple
brownies, eclairs, and oatmeal no
bake drop cookies. “They’re fat
free. We don’t charge for the fat,”
he quipped.
A number of the cafe’s most pop
ular dessert items are sold under
their own “Swheatzie” label. The
Carrillos selected this trade name
to represent “a healthier alterna
tive to snack foods that contain
highly processed flours, trans-fats
and preservatives.”
They told me that the healthi
ness of these sweets is ensured by
their use of wholesome ingredi
ents, which include vitamin-rich
grains milled on the spot prior to
baking, extra virgin olive oil, but
ter, raw honey, plus all-natural sea
salt and cane sugar.
But what really surprised me
was the fact that Carlos emigrated
from San Jose, Costa Rica via Fort
Lauderdale with virtually no real
culinary experience. Wife Donna,
however, is a talented baker and
pastry decorator who developed
her kitchen skills as a hobbyist
long before she made it a career.
Carlos may wear the pants in their
business, but Donna wears the
chef’s hat and it seems to fit her
better than Rachel Ray’s apron.
Carlos originally came to
Georgia from Florida to attend
Mercer University in Macon on
a soccer scholarship. There, he
graduated as a major in political
science and history, later returning
to obtain a master’s in business
administration.
Following his formal education,
he worked in Atlanta for IBM,
Hallmark Cards, Ralston Purina
GREETING CUSTOMERS
Carlos Carrillo (left) greet long-time Buford customers Mary and Edwin Floyd at his new Sweet
Escapes Cafe and Bakery in Brc
and Siebel Systems, where he spe
cialized as a trainer in sales moti
vation and customer relations.
He met Donna at the Atlanta
airport when, coincidentally, they
were both in route to separate
business meetings in Tampa, Fla.
A little more than seven months
later, they married. But it was
more than four years after that that
they decided to open their cafe
and bakery.
The couple now have two boys,
both of whom enjoy helping mom
and dad at Sweet Escapes after
school. Alex, seven, loves to help
run the register and process credit
cards. Christopher, four, enjoys
mopping the floor.
Together with as many as six
employees, the Carrillo family
cafe and bakery projects an ambi
ance reminiscent of Thanksgiving
dinner at Grandma’s house. I
noticed, for example, that the min
ute patrons walk in the door, they
are greeted more like relatives
than run-of-the-mill customers.
When I asked about this custom,
Carlos told me that he wanted his
business to revive the lost art of
good customer relations.
“I don’t want my employees to
be content with a mere ‘hello...
what do you want to eat.’ I want
newcomers to experience a strong
sense of belonging and returning
customers to be feel like they’re
coming home,” he said.
“This is why we chose to
name our cafe Sweet Escapes.
Our mission is to not only appeal
to the taste-buds but also to the
minds of our customers. I feel we
have accomplished this by treat
ing them to a uniquely pleasant
escape for both body and soul,” he
explained.
But don’t let me leave you with
the idea that this kind of hospital
ity stops at their cafe’s door.
The Carrillos also take this fam-
ily-like ambiance to a number
of private functions, which they
cater off premises. And through
their participation in various com
munity fairs and festivals, they are
credited with raising funds for such
local charities as Eagle Ranch and
the Gwinnett Children’s Shelter.
On one occasion, when one of
their regular customers was sick in
bed at home, Carlos made a spe
cial trip to her residence to deliv
er a big bowl of the homemade
potato soup she always requested
when visiting his cafe. And that
was on the house.
I counted more than 30 different
items on the Sweet Escapes cake
and dessert menu, more than 40
on the coffee house bill-of-fare,
and more than 50 each on the
breakfast, lunch, dinner and cater
ing menus. And absolutely none
of these items is made or prepack
aged outside the cafe.
But what lingers in my mind
most about this cozy little eatery
is not the excellence of the food,
but the quality of the experience I
got from just being there. Indeed,
I’m convinced that Sweet Escapes
seems to have brought to local
dining what Cheers added to the
bar scene in Boston.
And though the Carrillo family’s
cafe might not be a place “where
everybody knows your name,”
I’m confident that the owners will
remember your face and probably
the way you like your coffee, too.
Fil Jessee lives in Braselton,
where he works as a freelance
journalist. He can be reached at
filwrites @ aol. com.
Rep. Paul Broun
to meet with
veterans Jan. 9
Congressman Paul Broun
will meet with local veterans
Wednesday, Jan. 9, in Athens to
learn firsthand which issues con
cern them most.
In what will be the second of
three town hall meetings, Broun
will have dialogues with veter
ans, their advocates, and their
families.
“I am traveling the Tenth
Congressional District, eager to
hear from our local war heroes
and veterans. As a United States
Marine, I hold their service and
sacrifice in high esteem,” said
Broun. “I continue to stand in
support of the men and women
in uniform who are serving
today, and I consider it an honor
to meet with those who faith
fully served our country in years
past.”
The Jan. 9 meeting will begin
at 6 p.m., at VFW Post #2872,
835 Sunset Drive, Athens. The
town hall gathering is an oppor
tunity for the people of Northeast
Georgia to meet their U.S.
Congressman and find out where
he stands on veterans issues.
V.A. medical funding.
Wounded Warrior programs, the
ongoing Iraq War, and protection
of retirement benefits are some
of the pressing topics veterans
groups say they wish to discuss.
A short time will be set aside for
Broun to also address other mat
ters facing Congress.
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Community Health Screen
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