If you’re one of those disciplined people who don’t eat after 8 p.m. and only have sweets on your “cheat day,” read no further; this is not for you.
But if you’re like every other normal person on the planet and the 10 p.m. sweet cravings come on like a freight train and you’re seriously considering those two-week-old Teddy Grahams you found in your kid’s backpack, then we have the solution: Sister Sweet Shoppe. The late-night snack business features homemade brownies, Rice Krispies “cereal bowl” treats, salty snack mix and custom-made soda concoctions from 6 p.m. to midnight.
The delivery-only kitchen is headed by sisters Elease and Elaina Dimond, both in their 20s, who know from personal experience that sometimes you just need a tasty snack after a little home-based adult relaxation.
“There are so many winos and green lovers around here that it’s enough of a market,” Elaina said. On nights when we’re tethered to our couches, she said, the choices were a bit limited in Sonoma County.
“I got over mug cakes so quickly, and people don’t always want Jack in the Box,” the former Sonoma State University student said. “We’ve all had that struggle.”
Using family recipes and diligent testing and tasting, they’ve come up with a stable of goodies that they bake from scratch at their 1229 N. Dutton Ave. kitchen (Franchetti’s restaurant during the day) in Santa Rosa. The number-one seller? Double Trouble Brownies made with three types of chocolate, a gooey center and crispy edges took three years to perfect.
Also on the menu are Brown Sugar Meringue Brunetties (shortbread blondies with marshmallows and chocolate chips); Cereal Bowl Bars with all your favorite childhood flavors; homemade Cracker Jack corn with peanuts; and salty pub snack mix in ranch, chile or crab boil seasoning. Grab a thirst quencher like the Maui Wowie, a combination of Sprite and pineapple, coconut and lime flavors. Party-size stashes are available, including trays of brownies, along with weekly specialty snack cakes.
“We’re never boring, and we want our products to be extra, like us,” Elaina said. “It’s about happiness through sugar and butter. Happiness through calories,” Elease added.
The business was a pandemic project, according to Elease, who urged her sister to come home from Southern California, where she was working as a candy maker at Disneyland (which closed during the quarantine).
“This was our time, and I said, ‘Let’s start our business.’ We always wanted to do something together, but we hadn’t decided on anything,” Elease said.
They quickly found an audience using social media and delivery apps like Door Dash and UberEats, now ubiquitous. In addition to getting their late-night deliveries, Thursday through Saturday, you also can order ahead and pick up at the kitchen or find them at the Saturday farmers market at the Luther Burbank Center.
The two hope to add a late-night cafe later in the year and have plenty of other treats they’re excited to add to the menu.
After working double with full-time day jobs and their night hustle since December, the Dimond sisters now are ready to devote their time exclusively to their sweet shop.
“For this whole year, we were women hustling all day and all night. We just put in our notice (at work), so now we can focus,” Elaina said.
“We just appreciate all the community support. People reaching out to us through our Instagram just motivates us to work even harder,” she added. “Were glad this is stuff people want and are craving at night.”
Sister Sweet Shoppe is on Instagram @thesistersweetshoppe or sistersweetshoppe.com. Order through Uber Eats, Grub Hub or Door Dash.