DR. SHICA’S BAKERY
SOUTHERN SWEET MAKER TO THE STARS

As the story goes, from the time that Shica Little got her first Easy-Bake Oven, she knew that she loved to bake. Growing up in South Carolina, she baked with her grandma and learned that the best desserts come from using the best ingredients. Years later when Dr. Shica founded her bakery, she committed to using only high-quality, premium ingredients to create her gourmet signature desserts.

Dr. Shica has always enjoyed her small bakery business as a fun side project in hopes that one day it would grow beyond her home kitchen. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March of 2020, Dr. Shica, a Doctor of Education and college professor in the educational services industry, was laid off from her corporate job and she knew right then that it was time to turn her dream into a reality. The decision gave birth to Dr. Shica’s Bakery online in Los Angeles. Delivering comfort in a Bakery Box became Dr. Shica’s mission as everyone was trying their best to adjust to life in lockdown.

Dr. Shica also discovered that growing a small business during a pandemic is chock-full of challenges and Dr Shica’s Bakery was faced with operational restrictions, slow supply lines, and a customer base with a much less disposable income. But Dr. Shica and her small team continued to push forward to overcome these challenges and they continued to deliver her delicious Southern sweets all-across the country during a most challenging time.

This past year Dr. Shica started selling her Red Velvet Cake (her mom’s special recipe) and her Brownies at a pop-up shop in a soul food restaurant on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. This gained the attention of several Hollywood executives who instantly became huge fans of Dr. Shica’s Desserts, especially her brownies, giving them their name: Almost Famous Brownies.

Word started spreading quickly and Dr. Shica began delivering her Bakery Boxes all over the city. She then got a call from Oprah Magazine as they had heard about her desserts and Oprah and Gayle loved her cookies, and Dr. Shica’s Bakery was in the top three on Oprah’s Favorite Things out of 15,000 entries. She was then featured as a Black small business owner on Good Morning America, and her Gourmet Dessert Boxes were featured on Tori Johnson’s ‘Deals and Steals,’ bringing a tremendous amount of visibility and recognition to Dr. Shica’s Bakery just after its inception.

Dr. Shica’s Bakery creates gourmet, Southern-style desserts using only the freshest premium ingredients. Dr. Shica also knew she wanted to expand her baked goods to meet the growing demand for vegan treats, so she developed and is introducing a new line of mouth-watering, plant-based vegan desserts that satisfy those sweet cravings and allow her plant-based customers to maintain their vegan lifestyles all while continuing to indulge and enjoy. Reinventing her family’s recipes, Dr. Shica brings old favorites into the modern era featuring desserts with the taste of home and the sophistication of a gourmet bakery, including Signature Sweets such as Dr. Shica’s Cookies (Sprinkle Delight, Hot Chocolate, Gigi’s Chocolate Chip, Vegan Chocolate Chunk, Lemon Drop, Red Velvet Cake); Debra’s Red Velvet Cake; Brownies (Almost Famous Brownies; full line of Vegan Desserts); Vegan Almost Famous Brownies, Vegan Cookies, Vegan Red Velvet Cake, and Signature Boxes, including Dr. Shica’s Spring Gift Box, Gourmet Dessert Box, Vegan Gourmet Dessert Boxes, and Traditional and Vegan Birthday Boxes.

All of Dr. Shica’s Bakery desserts are made with Dr. Shica’s Signature Baking Products, including her Pure Vanilla Powder, Pure Lemon Powder, and Organic Cocoa Powder. These vegan-friendly flavors are available for purchase all throughout North America.

The last year has been really remarkable for Dr. Shica. She has delighted taste buds and inspired many.

“I am proud to be a Black woman business owner,” says Dr. Shica. “We can provide jobs to our community and we are able to inspire young women who may want to start their own businesses. Best of all, we have been able to bring desserts and smiles to people’s homes during this pandemic and now we get to introduce our new retail bakery at Westfield Culver City.”

Dr. Shica’s Bakery at Westfield Culver City is located at 6000 Sepulveda Boulevard in Culver City. Open Monday through Thursday from 11am to 8pm; Friday and Saturday from 10am to 9pm; and Sunday from 11am to 7pm.

Story By: Jose Martinez

Photography Courtesy Of: Dr. Shica’s Bakery