Meet Michelle Hritz | Pastry chef & entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michelle Hritz and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michelle, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
It really wasn’t something I had a dream of all my life, it kinda evolved. Since baking is my second career it wasn’t until I was working at a local cafe that I even knew what went into events. The first time I got to set up a dessert table for an event I was enamoured! It was so exciting to use my creative, artistic skills using desserts as my medium and the table as my canvas to create something beautiful and delicious! I created all of the art, the desserts and the table arrangement, it was so fulfilling at that moment I knew this is what I wanted to do. Never was a storefront an option for me, I loved events and wanted to focus on the catering side of things, not retail. So after much thought I embarked on a journey to start my own dessert catering business with absolutely no customer base, but willing to work hard and figure it all out!

What should our readers know about your business?
So in the beginning of my story I said this wasn’t even a dream I ever really had, especially in the field I’m in now! But working in design, in the corporate world first really did help when I look back at it now. Besides going to college and getting my bachelors in design, my corporate life taught me how to be a professional. How to speak to clients, how to send correspondence in a professional way, heck, how to even conduct a meeting! It also taught me A LOT of patience as well as how to stay organized! You have client, and company demands, you have timelines, it has to happen when they want it to happen, so you figure out a plan to make it happen. Attention to detail is what I excelled at in my design career which has helped so, so much in the work I do today. All of my mini little pastries are detailed and require some patience to attain that detail, design taught me how to focus that’s for sure! Getting where I am today was not easy, or fast. First I started working in a few local café’s as a baker, this is where I learned how to bake large batches as well as some of the production tricks of a commercial kitchen. This is also where I learned I didn’t want a storefront, after setting up a few dessert tables for events, that is what became the exciting part of baking! I always did my own baking for my customers while I worked in the field it was finally when I was rising in rank and trying to do my own thing that I had to make a decision, give up my work or give up the stable job. After much thought I decided to give it a go, not knowing exactly where to start. After many craft shows, hot and sweaty outdoor markets in the middle of July I started setting my sights on events, in particular weddings. Just as I was making a game plan and scheduling meetings we all know what 2020 brought! Now what?! Started selling little boxes with a variety of my mini treats and delivering to anyone who wanted one. That did carry me though the worst of Covid times, but not all of it. Once events were allowed back to some degree I was back at it in 2022. It took some time to gain momentum and schedule meetings with event centers, caterers, anyone who wanted to partner for pastry! These times are when I learned the art of the very overused word “pivot”. If something isn’t working, even if you have your heart set on it with fierce determination, it’s time to let it go and try something else, there is always another way to do it, and so I did. If it didn’t work after a few tries, it was gone, on to the next. Another thing that worked for me was niching, really figuring out who I wanted to work with, I couldn’t be all things to everyone. I hated making cakes…off the list, not a bread baker, skip. Hated watching my little works of art melting in the Summer sun under my tiny tent….no more outdoor markets. I had my eye on the prize and I was going all in on events. And so here I am, focused as ever on mini desserts and displays for wedding dessert tables, helping people with anything they want to celebrate, seeing repeat customers weddings, baby showers, birthdays, graduations. It’s been a winding road but I found my path and I’m charging on!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Ooh I love showing people my favorite things! I’m going to plan a long weekend trip. We would start out with my favorite bakery for breakfast (nope, it’s not mine!) Blackbird Bakery in Lakewood for the best croissant in the area! Once we have our sugar and caffeine fix it’s on to a trip to the West Side Market, it’s kinda a unique place you can’t find in every city. We can shop for some afternoon snacks since have lots to see and don’t want to stop for a formal lunch. Then we’ll do a little driving tour of Downtown and some of the surrounding areas, or if it’s nice out (you never know if CLE!) we can go for a walk around the city. Defiantly have to see the Heinen’s downtown, it’s such a beautiful space and very unique. Best part is on the second floor balcony they have wine (and beer)! The enomatic machines allow you to serve yourself a taste or a glass then you can hangout and catch up and people watch from up above. Time for an early dinner since that’s the way to get in the trendy spots! Off we go to Ohio City to visit Amba! Love the darkness of this place and the small sharable plates, perfect for a long day of walking and more walking to come! It’s third Friday! So off we go to 78th street studios to check out all the art as well as talk to the artists, my two faves are there Dawn Tekler and Megan Frankenfield, time to meet and check in with my creative ladies! After more walking we are thirsty again, time to head over to Gordon Square and see what’s happening there. We decide to visit my friend Belinda at Wyne tasting bar, yep more wine! Same concept as Heinen’s with the enomatic machines, just a more intimate and relaxing place. Oh look she’s celebrating Australia day this weekend (her homeland) let’s try some fun Australian wines and fun snacks! So my friend is a bit tired from me dragging her all around town so we call it a night since we have a whole other day tomorrow! Saturday! I typically don’t have many Saturday’s off so we are going to take advantage of that! We start out with a quick smoothie at home then off to the Cleveland Metroparks for a hike in the woods, such a gem we have right in the city! After a beautiful walk outside we head back and change because we just found out Lindsay over at Flight is having a wine tasting event this afternoon! Off we go to Gordon Square again to try some fun new wines with all of my favorite wine reps! Well, that was fun, had a few snacks there but we really need some food! Let’s just head across the street to see Steve & Elaine over at Astoria! I love Greek food & wine so it’s time to show my friend some delicious things from the region, not to mention they have a great patio! After dinner I just checked to see if there was any live music we liked in town, and it’s our great luck The Grog Shop is having a show. Time to show her the East side! After a night of great food, wine and music, it’s time to head home, we had another busy, long day.
Sunday morning, it’s time for her to head home but not after we have brunch! Let’s head back East to Poppy! Let’s see what Jill and Jessica have on the menu! Our luck, another nice day so we can be on the patio! After brunch we have a little walk around the Larchmere area. I try to talk her into going to Shaker Heights so we can shop at Van Aken Center but she’s gotta get home. We say our goodbyes and off I go to get my shopping fix in, even if it is just window shopping! What a great weekend, she said she’s definitely coming back to Cleveland, mission accomplished!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
This one is hard for me…since I always hear others talk of parents, family members, or a lifelong mentor. Not really my story, when I really reflect on the question I come up with one person who meets most of that criteria…my husband, Rodney. I know, I know, it sounds like the easy way out of this one! But actually he’s one of the main reasons I was able to change my career path later in life. He gave me support, encouragement, lots of “tough love” as well as “true” love, his perspective, and his experience, since is also an entrepreneur! It was a battle to change my mindset about leaving my corporate job to do what I thought I really wanted to do, I had become what I call, “a good robot”, just working away at my desk on my computer doing a great job, I did move up in positions and pay but it was killing my soul! We worked together to make the transition to pastry, it would be a few more years working for someone else learning the in’s and out’s of the commercial baking world and truly finding my passion, what excited me, it was events! Rodney is a great problem solver and thinker, I give him my thoughts, issues, whatever and he gives it to me straight, not always what I want to hear, but it’s great to have another perspective. Of course the ultimate decision is mine, which he’s not always thrilled about, but in the end it gives me pride to see how far I’ve come by making my own path!

Website: https://sweetrev.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetrevolutionllc/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/27019646/admin/feed/posts/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SweetRevolutionLLC

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/sweet-revolution-middleburg-heights-2

Image Credits
Katie Krupa Creative Weddings By Justin Gamble