Vendor Spotlight – Sweet Cedes

Hello everyone, Kev here welcoming you to the fourth edition of the Oddmall Vendor Spotlight! This will be a recurring series to share with you all some of your local vendors and attendees of Oddmall shows, highlighting their incredible talents, wonderful personalities and amazing creations. 

This week, I got the chance to speak with Shawna, one of our regular Oddmall vendors, to learn more about their business; Sweet Cedes Just Desserts and Catering! Starting as a humble cottage bakery in 2022, Shawna has grown the business from beyond their signature cheesecake, now including an expanded dessert line highlighted by the cheesecake lava bombs, as well as a full beverage line. She will also be introducing her mobile food setup as soon as this summer!

Some of you regular Oddmall members I’m sure have quickly become familiar with Shawna over the time she has been involved with our shows. From her expert marketing, high quality foods and friendly personality, she has certainly made a strong impact on many of us. One of the most memorable moments was when Shawna, an ordained minister, performed a hand fasting wedding ceremony at Hallowondrous 2023! 

One of our earliest memories of Shawna was her very first Oddmall show pictured above. At Expedition Elsewhere 2023, many people recall Shawna regularly running out of stock because of how quickly their product was selling. “We had our items at the time inside the Artistic Butterfly as well as the Outpost and I had to go grab all our inventory from both places just for stuff to sell,” she recalls. “I still had to go home and bake all night for the second day!” Many attendees staying at the event also remember Shawna having to close her booth early just to make more product and restock, reminiscing about arriving early the next morning to make sure to buy from her before she ran out. 

Shawna goes on and shares how her experience has been while attending Oddmall events for the past few years. “It’s literally what addicted us to Oddmall and has held true every event we’ve done. We rarely ever take anything home even when we do actual food! It’s been an extremely satisfying experience and a huge motivation in my business. And just the entire atmosphere of inclusiveness makes my heart so happy!” As a lowly writer, it’s sentiment like this that I love to see from Oddmall vendors and love even more to share with those who may feel the same, or are looking to become Oddmall vendors for the first time – while sales is always so important at events, it’s the feeling of satisfaction and inclusiveness that really is the main Oddmall philosophy. 

Now I did have to ask Shawna what the inspiration behind the name. “Initially all of our dessert’s names were themed after songs and Sweet [Sadie] is an all-time classic that many people love,” Shawna shared, with the writer in agreement. My daughter’s name is Mercedes after the actress Mercedes Rheul and we call her Cede for short.” With her daughter’s permission, Shawna created Sweet Cede’s and has only grown from there.

One of the main draws to Shawna’s desserts, apart from great taste, has always been the visual appeal. “It started off as traditional desserts until I began experimenting,” she shares when asked about the creative process of her designs. “First with trifles of all flavors and combining of multiple desserts into one, which is how the Cheesecake Lava Bombs were created.  After that, when it came time to create, I’d just look around the kitchen and start combining items I felt would complement each other and create something new each time.”

Beyond her most popular items such as the lobster bisque and chili as well as the freshly squeezed lemonade, Shawna also promotes their various retail items! Featuring custom made t-shirts, towels, totes and more, she has proven to be multifaceted in her talents beyond baking. 

While a regular member at Oddmall shows, you can find Shawna’s creations at the Oddmall Outpost as well as her facebook pages, where you can place custom orders. So be sure to say hi the next time you see Shawna at her next Oddmall show, or are looking for a minister to marry you and your partner! 🙂

You can find more from Sweet Cede’s at:
Call or Text Shawna @ 234-212-4395
Sweet Cedes Just Desserts and Catering Facebook 
Sweet Cedes Epicurean Express Facebook
Future Oddmall Shows 

Want to be featured in your own Vendor Spotlight? Contact Kevin at Kevin@Oddmall.info or fill out the application here!

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