The Brief
A Tampa baker has transformed her culinary school dream into a thriving boutique bakery with a dedicated local following.
Synergy Sweets focuses on fresh flavors with a weekly rotating menu of made-to-order cheesecakes, cupcakes, and cookies.
The pink boutique shop operates under special summer hours from Wednesday through Saturday on West Hillsborough Avenue.
TAMPA, Fla. – A Tampa baker is turning a culinary school dream into a pink boutique bakery with a loyal following.
Tampa boutique bakery launch
The backstory
Shonnika Denise owns Synergy Sweets, located at 4016 W. Hillsborough Ave. in Tampa. She came up with the name while she was still in culinary school and knew one day she wanted to open a pink bakery with that name.
Denise says she originally went to culinary school, then changed her major after taking one baking and pastry class.
“I took that one class, intro to baking and pastries, and I never looked back,” Denise said.
The name Synergy Sweets comes from the idea that the parts of a dessert work better together than they do alone. Denise says flour, sugar and the other components of a cake are “greater together than they are separate.”
The bakery serves cheesecakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies and cheesecake cakes. Denise says everything is decorated to order, rather than sitting in a display case for hours.
“Our menu rotates weekly,” Denise said. “It keeps me excited about flavors.”
Special bakery community
Big picture view
Denise says customers come back week after week to try the new flavors. She says the bakery has also become a place where customers feel like family.
“We really built a community with our customers,” Denise said. “It’s a family. It feels like a family here.”
Synergy Sweets is currently open for summer hours from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
You can preview the rotating menu here.
The Source
The information in this story was gathered from Synergy Sweets owner Shonnika Denise, who explained her culinary school background, detailed the bakery’s unique menu concept, and provided the current summer operating hours.