With a motto like “Try everything,” it’s no wonder Sarah’s Pastries & Candies has taken off like a rocket in just under five years. During high school, founder Sarah Levy dreamed of becoming a pastry chef. Dozens of cold calls and a few years later, she had honed her skills by working alongside some of the best chefs in the country. Even with that experience, Sarah was tentative about launching her own business.

“I wanted to open a business but wasn’t sure if I was ready. Chef John Kraus advised, ‘It’s kind of like having kids. You’ll never feel like ‘Oh I’ve got this in the bag’ but you just have to jump in,’” she recalls her French Pastry School mentor saying. And jump in she did.

The Big Break

In 2005, Sarah opened Sarah’s Pastries & Candies store on Oak Street. Less than two years later, plans to tear down the building that housed her store caused a bit of a panic to secure a new location. But this minor glitch ended up opening the door to another extraordinary opportunity.

During a business meeting with Hedy Ratner of the Women’s Business Development Center, the birth of a second location took place. “Hedy called the PR department at Macy’s and told Andrea Schwartz that she thought Sarah’s Candies would be a great addition to the store,” she says with a laugh. “She totally put Andrea on the spot but it ended up working out.”

In November 2007, Sarah’s Macy’s State Street location opened. Months later, her new 70 East Oak Street location opened.

“The stores are nice compliments to each other - Gold Coast and the Loop,” she says. “It’s great.”

To keep up with the high demand the two stores generate, Sarah recently opened a new kitchen in Lincoln Park.

“It’s really nice to have our own kitchen – it’s so convenient both for us and for customers,” she says. The kitchen bakes all ] inventory for both stores as well as online orders, corporate accounts and the booming wedding business.

Keys to Success

Many first-time entrepreneurs can only dream of the success Sarah’s Pastries & Candies has achieved. Sarah says the key is to never pass up an opportunity.

“If there’s an opportunity, we’ll figure out a way to do it,” she explains. “There’s always a transition period. But I’d much rather have that than say, ‘No, sorry’ and pass it up.”

That attitude has helped Sarah expand not only her retail locations but also her corporate and wedding business as well. In addition, Sarah’s Pastries recently began serving lunch at the Oak Street store.

With new opportunities constantly arising, things get overwhelming at times, but that’s when Sarah says you have to keep it all in perspective. “The whole reason I wanted to do this was to have fun. So sometimes you just have to walk away and find that balance.”

And it’s the complete belief in what she’s creating that has helped make Sarah’s Pastries successful. “If you’re passionate about something and you love something, that will come across in the quality of your food,” she believes.

People Make The Difference

Although Sarah’s love of food has taken her a long way, she recognizes that she wouldn’t be where she is today without the people she works with and those who have helped her along the way.

When starting her business, she looked to a number of mentors. “My dad is great with the business side, and my mom has great people skills and instincts,” she explains. “And Jacquy Pfeiffer, one of the owners of The French Pastry School, has helped with the pastry side of it.”

Two people who have been with Sarah since day one are Head Chef Rafael Ornelas and Alexa Sindelar, the head chocolate maker and Oak Street store manager. Chef Ornelas was once her boss and was so committed to her vision that he helped her get the business off the ground. “He’s so knowledgeable,” Sarah boasts.

With this support plus her staff of 25, Sarah realizes her good fortune. One bonus is no more 20-hour days. “I’m really lucky to have such great, hard-working people here,” she explains. “You can’t do it alone.”

And next?

Looking to the future, Sarah sees an expansion of the Lincoln Park kitchen to include a storefront, while continuing to grow the retail, gift basket and wedding cake business.

Although it didn’t just happen overnight, the past five years have been a whirlwind. “It’s gone by so fast, “ she says. “I’m proud of us as a company. To see the growth so far makes me feel like there’s so much more we can do.”

Any advice to those who want to be entrepreneurs? “Trust your instincts,” she says with a smile. “And do something you’re passionate about.” Now that’s a recipe for success.