Turning Passion into Profit with Chi Chi's Treats
The Smell of Sweet Success: Chi Chi's Treats
The smell of sweet vanilla and warm butter fills the air as the mixer uninterruptedly hums in the background. Each time she opens the oven, a whiff of tangy lemon escapes, wrapping the room in a sugary sweetness. The countertop is dusted with flour, a thin white layer like fresh snow on a winter morning.
The moment feels calm, serene, and comforting—but behind the sugar is a bit of spice.
For Sharmetris “Chi Chi” Lindsey, life after college did not follow the recipe she prepared for. After graduating from Villa Maria College with an accounting degree in 2024, she has been mixing and whisking up her next move. What started as a simple hobby has grown into a thriving brand—Chi Chi’s Treats.
Inside Lindsey’s Buffalo home, the kitchen has become not only her workspace, but also her classroom and her place for therapy. The sharp smell of fresh ink from her accounting textbooks has been replaced with the warm, spicy aroma of cinnamon. She no longer works with Excel spreadsheets or Texas Instruments calculators; instead, she manages measuring cups and frosting bags.
Even in the peace of her own kitchen, Lindsey faces the pressure of perfecting each treat, keeping up with orders, and navigating the business side of her hobby all on her own—challenges that are much different than solving equations in a classroom.
“Life after graduation taught me a ton… I thought I’d be working in a bank right now,” Lindsey said. During her sophomore year, she picked up baking as a side hobby to help her escape from the stress of assignments and exams. She never dreamed of owning a business, but quickly realized that baking was far sweeter than analyzing financial records.
Lindsey’s love for baking began well before her college experiments. As a child, she and her cousins competed in bake-offs and frosting wars.
“My kitchen was a mess for days,” she said laughing at the memory. Her mother was not always amused by the disarray, but “At least I can make a mess now, and my mom doesn’t have to clean it up,” Lindsey joked, as she glanced at her kitchen.
Once college began, baking had become more than just frolic—it was a stress reliever and a way for her to tap into her creativity, since most accounting classes lack imagination.
Her sophomore year, or “rookie year”, became a building blocks period for her business. She tested new recipes and experimented with different tools, turning her small kitchen into a mini bakery.
She started posting her creations on social media, sharing pictures of dessert jars, chocolate-covered cheesecake strawberries and pound cakes.
The posts quickly gained attention from friends, classmates and local followers who wanted a taste.
“About two months into me practicing, people started asking if I could make them desserts or cater their events,” Lindsey said with a smile. “That’s when I realized this could be something more than just a hobby, but a real money maker.”
“Sometimes I’d be frosting cakes or making finishing touches at 2 a.m. and have a finance exam in a few hours… but looking back, it was worth it.” Those long nights taught her discipline, patience and that hard work pays off.
Even with long nights and tight deadlines, Lindsey’s dedication started to pay off. She began selling her desserts at pop-up events and her success spread like yeast across Buffalo, NY.
Her signature cheesecake jars, chocolate-covered cheesecake strawberries, and layered pound cakes quickly became crowd favorites. Lindsey remembered a pop-up event at Buffalo State University that perfectly captured her business’ growth:
“The town really went crazy for them… I remember one time I posted that I was at Buff State for a pop-up and literally I sold out within the hour. I didn’t even post the pop-up in advance, I literally posted it while I was already there and all set up, so for me to sell out that quick, it really meant a lot.” says Lindsey.
Looking ahead, Lindsey aspires to transform Chi Chi’s Treats into a full-time business with its own storefront and employees. She wants her bakery to embody the same warmth as the kitchen where she and her friends used to host bake-offs and frosting wars.
Lindsey is aware that she will not be able to reach her dream without challenges along the way. Between completing orders, adding new desserts to the menu, keeping up with finances and social media, she often works late into the night.
On top of self-managing Chi Chi’s Treats, she works a full-time 9 to 5 job as salesperson assistant at a car dealership. “It sort of makes me use my degree in a way, but it can be annoying when I have an event or something I have to make for someone; I hate having to feel rushed when I get off work,” she laughed.
Even without taste tests or formal training in culinary arts or business management, Lindsey is learning what it takes to turn passion into profit. She has created Chi Chi’s Treats from scratch— like many of her recipes—through trial, error and pure dedication.
She pours more love into her sweets than she does sugar, and while her path looks nothing like the one she studied for, she is proving that with time and discipline, passion can take you places a degree never could.
From her signature cheesecake jars and poundcake slices that sell out at her pop-up events, Chi Chi’s Treats is quickly becoming a town favorite. Lindsey’s post graduation journey shows that following your heart can lead to something truly sweet.
Cheesecake Dippers Strawberry Crunch Poundcake
Comments
Post a Comment