Fresh Beginnings Lead To Sweet Endings (Bakery)

When you hear the phrases “Florida Orange Sunshine” or “Coconut Bombe,” what comes to mind? It may be two of the popular and delicious treats sold at West Palm Beach’s Sweet Endings Bakery. Located at 1220 Okeechobee Blvd., Sweet Endings owner Judy Leibovit has been busy in the bakery business for twenty years.

All of Leibovit’s desserts are made from scratchbased recipes. “My passion for baking started when I was in college. I would throw together anything that was in the kitchen,” she said.

In the late 1980s, at the beginning of her culinary career, Leibovit ran a catering business in Virginia. Upon returning to West Palm Beach, she began working with a woman that specialized in cheesecakes. After her associate ended her cheesecake business, Leibovit started her own baking endeavor.

“I started Sweet Endings with $250 and a small hand-held mixer”, explained Leibovit. The savvy baker then began selling baked goods from her car to local restaurants. “When I brought samples to a very popular and busy local restaurant and they called me back within the hour to order, I was beside myself and knew I could do this!”

After being asked how she selects her recipes, Leibovit asserted that “whenever I travel I always check out the local favorite or unusual dessert.” In fact, she said, “I was showing my line of desserts to a country club in Georgia in the early 1990s when I saw a very strange red cake, before Red Velvet Cake was such a big favorite of many people.” Leibovit added that her Sweet Potato Pecan Pie resulted from a visit to New Orleans. The business started from a rented kitchen at Temple Israel in West Palm Beach. She quickly outgrew this space and so rented from a caterer in Riviera Beach. Soon, Leibovit contacted a food distributor to sample her cakes. She was on her way! Her baked goods were so delicious that she needed a food broker to assist her with her line.

As a woman in the gourmet dessert business, Leibovit’s upbeat attitude has significantly impacted her company’s ability to take on new obstacles. “All challenges have been a learning experience!” She contended that the main components of her success have been rooted in a few simple concepts: “Never forget your dreams, always treat everyone with respect, work hard but work smart, and always know what is going on in every aspect of your business.”