DBE Power Player
Sweet Success Sarah Imberman’s journey from a
Chicago Bakery Owner to a Successful ACDBE By Sarah Magargee
national acclaim with a Imberman was offered three more deals with debut on The Food Network, SSP in Phoenix, Sacramento, and San Diego a visit from cooking and and decided to pivot her business entirely to lifestyle connoisseur Martha airport concessions. Stewart, and the publishing “Closing my bakeries was one of the of her cookbook “Sweetness: hardest decisions of my life,” Imberman Delicious Baked Treats For said. “But I knew it was the right direction Every Occasion.” to go. A lot of the skills that I had developed In 2009, Imberman running Sarah’s Pastries & Candies applied encountered the world to this new endeavor, and SSP America of airport concessions provided great support teaching me the through SSP America, a nuances of airport concessions.” division of SSP Group Sarah Levy Imberman, president and CEO of S. Levy Foods and a leading operator of food and beverage brands in travel locations worldwide, and the Airport Concessions arah Imberman’s journey from making Disadvantaged Business Enterprise chocolates in her mom’s Chicago (ACDBE) program. kitchen to becoming a rising star in Imberman explained that running a the airport concessions industry is bakery is hard work: she worked six days an inspiring story of sweet success. In 2004, a week and started every workday before Imberman began selling chocolates under her sunrise. “I saw many opportunities in the original brand Sarah’s Pastries & Candies, at airport concessions industry and a chance several Chicago, Illinois, Whole Foods locations. to have a more sustainable schedule,” From there, her business grew – moving into Imberman said. “Leaving the retail bakery a kitchen space and expanding offerings of world was scary because it was all I knew, other sweet treats, including pastries, specialty but had I not taken that risk, who knows & wedding cakes, chocolate gift baskets, and where I would be now.” more. Imberman became ACDBE certified in By 2007, Imberman was selling her Illinois before landing her first deal with confections in numerous locations, including SSP America in 2011, in Terminal 4 of the her two store-front bakeries; and garnering JFK International Airport. Six months later, Sarah Imberman (right) welcomes Martha Stewart to her
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retail location in Chicago, Illinois.
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