SistaGirl Sweets to open downtown September 13

The brick-and-mortar location is an evolution of Demetria Jackson’s six-year-old bakery business.

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SistaGirl Sweets will open at 1828 Washington Avenue on September 13, serving soul food, baked goods, and lemonade.

Owner Demetria Jackson founded SistaGirl Sweets in December 2014 as a baked goods delivery business. Over the past six years, the brand has grown a following for its cheesecakes and dessert jars, but the new location’s 4,000 square-foot footprint will allow Jackson to offer a broader menu of soul food items supplementing her trademark desserts. The drink list includes SistaGirl Sweets’ own line of lemonades and hot cocoa.

The 16-ounce dessert jars can be consumed on the premises, but they’re ideal grab-and-go treats, says Jackson.

“It’s just like a dessert to go,” Jackson says. “You can grab a mason jar filled with dessert, get your spoon and eat it in the car, or eat it as you walk down Washington.”

Jackson says the most popular dessert jars in the past have been banana pudding, caramel cake, and strawberry cheesecake. The selection will also vary according to the season. “Since fall is coming up, we will have sweet potato cheesecake, peach cobbler, pumpkin spice cheesecake, to cater to different taste buds,” she says.

In terms of the hot food, many items will be vegan or meatless. For example, there will be a vegan burger—and that doesn’t mean simply a meat-free patty between a bun. “Dairy-free mayo, plant-based bacon, dairy-free provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, on a gluten-free or brioche bun,” Jackson says.

Leaving that element of choice, as with the bun, is important, Jackson says. “People haven’t tapped into strictly eating healthy,” she says. “Some people still like the fattening of the cabs and the brioche. Everything just melts in your mouth with the brioche.”

The FOMO platter will be a shareable feast that includes 12 whole wings in four different flavors—hot wings, sweet and hot, and more—served with fries. Other dishes include smothered turkey chops and smoked turkey wings, and there will be soul food signatures such as sweet potatoes, cabbage, and baked mac 'n' cheese. “We’re going to give a Southern feel to the Midwest,” Jackson says.

Jackson says the restaurant will be kid-friendly and host events celebrating all of the major holidays. For breastfeeding mothers, Jackson has developed a selection of “lactation treats” that she says have been well-received by customers. These cookies and brownies are designed to help increase the yield of breast milk.

Jackson says the range of offerings reflects the importance of catering to people from different walks of life. One thing she’s hoping to add in the future is vegan and gluten-free desserts. “A lot of my customers have changed their lifestyle, and they’ve gone vegan,” Jackson says. “They want to shop with SistaGirl Sweets, but they can’t because we don’t have vegan dessert options at the moment.” Once she has worked out recipes for vegan and gluten-free takes on her desserts, Jackson says she’ll be adding them to the menu. “We still want to make sure everything’s delicious,” she says.

SistaGirl Sweets’ grand opening will be held from 3–9 p.m. on September 13 and is open to all, with masks required for entry. (The restaurant will host dine-in customers from opening day, but COVID-19 regulations will put a limit on how many diners can be seated.) SistaGirl Sweets is also set to launch Apple and Android apps that will let customers place their to-go orders for easy pickup.

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