Sophie Evanoff on Scaling, Giving Back, Self-Care, and Working While Having Fun

Sophie Evanoff is the Owner and Operator of Vanille Patisserie, a French-inspired patisserie specializing in French macarons, pastries, and cakes. She has been an innovator in the pastry world since 2011, when she acquired the company from her pastry school instructor. Since then, Sophie has successfully run multiple locations in Chicago. In 2016, she was the first female recipient of the James Tyree Emerging Business Leadership Award. As a recognized thought leader in pastry arts, Sophie has spoken and served as a panelist at several events, including the Sharing Success: Women in Business Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce panel and networking breakfast and the Wintrust Women’s History Month event.

In this episode…

Entrepreneurs are often expected to grow and scale their businesses as quickly as possible. However, this isn’t always realistic and can lead to potential challenges. Rather, the characteristics of success vary between entrepreneurs. 

Baking entrepreneur Sophie Evanoff has noticed that many industry conferences often focus on funding and scaling. However, expanding too quickly can be detrimental to a company's survival. As an owner and operator, it can be challenging to manage several locations, as issues such as in-house theft, early closures, staffing concerns, and poor service quality can arise. Although it appears that more stores would generate more revenue, mediocre service is costly and may cause a business to lose money. Bakery owners like Sophie prefer to operate on a smaller scale to have more control over their business. Additionally, small-scale bakers strive to be their own bosses and work in an industry they’re passionate about. 

On today’s episode of the Celebrity Gourmet Podcast, Odette D’Aniello welcomes Sophie Evanoff, Owner and Operator of Vanille Patisserie, for an intimate conversation about entrepreneurship. Sophie talks about pivoting during the pandemic, the importance of giving back to the community, the challenges of scaling too quickly, and why resetting as a business owner is essential.