But when owner Randi Smith first opened the doors, none of that was part of the plan.
"It was never supposed to be all of this," Smith said. "We just took a leap of faith."
Smith's baking journey began long before Raleigh, in the Bahamas, where she grew up watching her grandmother, Genevieve, bake for family celebrations.
"My grandmother, her sisters and her mom all made wedding cakes back in the seventies and eighties," Smith said. "They would throw these elaborate parties for whatever occasion. And she would bake scones, cream puffs, pound cake."
That early exposure planted a seed, but it was TLC's "Cake Boss" that inspired Smith to take baking more seriously.
"These are three burly guys from New York, New Jersey," Smith said. "If they can create these cakes, then I can too."
The real turning point came from an unexpected place. While waiting for her green card, Smith said she was unable to work legally and began considering other options.
"I was working in public health on a visa," Smith said. "And while I was waiting on my green card, I couldn't find work legally. So I was like, hey, I could start a business."
That business became Sugar Euphoria, which opened as a brick-and-mortar cake studio in Historic Oakwood. The shop was originally intended to serve wedding and event clients by appointment only, but neighborhood interest quickly changed those plans.
"They did! They did!" Smith said. "Every day, every Saturday morning they were asking me when we were opening."
Smith responded by expanding the business. Sugar Euphoria has since grown from a cake studio into a full-service bakery and cafe, offering a rotating seasonal menu of cupcakes, lattes and matcha drinks.
As the shop's profile has grown, so has Smith's ambition. Sugar Euphoria now operates a concession trailer that serves as a mobile bakery, and Smith teaches corporate cake-decorating classes as team-building experiences for local companies.
"It's been phenomenal," Smith said. "We've had a lot of repeat corporate clients. That's always nice."
The custom cake side of the business remains a major focus. Smith recently completed a five-tier, gluten-free wedding cake that weighed roughly 200 pounds, about four times heavier than a typical wedding cake.
"There is no room for error," Smith said. "From the minute you leave the kitchen and put it in the car. That's probably the most stressful part, the transport."
The cake arrived safely, and as Sugar Euphoria continues to grow in Raleigh, Smith said the bakery's identity remains rooted in where she started.
"A little bit of the Bahamas," Smith said. "But a whole lot of the South. And a whole lot of North Carolina."
Sugar Euphoria is located at 606 N. Person St. in Raleigh's Historic Oakwood neighborhood.
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