Interview With Sharon Pinkhasov, Business Owner & Pastry Chef

Sharon Pinkhasov: I basically grew up in the kitchen. After school I would come home and experiment in the kitchen with my mother and grandmother. It was an enjoyable experience and I decided to give it a try. Baking cakes was a logical and intuitive move for me, and I wanted to see where it would take me. To my surprise, it went well.  

But I wanted stability and decided to pursue dentistry. I went to school and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biomedicine. 

My graduation was during the COVID era, and I realized that a lot of people can’t go out to buy a cake for a special occasion, so I decided to start selling my cakes to neighbors and friends. Before I knew it, the orders started increasing.  

That was the point when I realized that I love this and should pursue it as a career. I met a lot of amazing people on my way that inspired me to start investing in my business. 

If I said that it’s not a struggle even now I, I’d be lying. It is always work in progress.

Sharon Pinkhasov: I have made a lot of mistakes throughout the years, but the mistakes molded me into the person I am now.  

When it comes to technique and skill, I have made several mistakes. However, if it wasn’t for those mistakes, I wouldn’t be able to learn and hone the skills, bringing them to the current level. Don’t be mistaken, learning is never over in this line of work. I am learning every day.  

Throughout the year I was able to learn from Chef Dominique Ansel and Chef Ron Ben-Israel and I am more than grateful for all the opportunities that I had. Learning is a privilege. 

In the initial stages of my career, the mistakes I made working made me question if the Pastry Chef Career is a path I should follow. However, I realized that it’s not time to give up just yet. Because if people gave up when encountering the first obstacles nobody would ever succeed.  

Giving up was not an option for me, I knew I would make it and become successful. Guess what? I was right.  

Sharon Pinkhasov: All of us when starting out want to come under someone’s wing, and it is incredibly important to have the right mentor, who will support and guide you.  

My approach might differ from other people’s approach, but it worked for me, and I would suggest everyone try it out.  

Start out using social media platforms, to promote your work and creativity. Network and connect with the right people and before you know it, a celebrity Chef will notice you and decide to give you a chance.  

Note that this doesn’t mean overnight success. I started over 10 years ago, and I am still not at my peak. I am still learning and trying to grow.  

Posting my creations and work is what brought me the necessary media coverage. That is the secret behind how I ended up on CBS.  

It was both an honor and a privilege to meet Dona Drake and talk with her. 

Also note that it’s never super easy. I still feel occasional fear of posting something, but I push through and so should you. My audience is not engaged properly, and I should do more, but I am trying to improve and grow while building my community.  

So yes, this is my unusual approach. Start on social media and you will get the necessary attention. The opportunities are infinite.  

Sharon Pinkhasov: Leadership skills are important but that kind of comes, you know, over the years and with experience. A good leader is what keeps a company together!  

When it comes to pastry technique is non-negotiable. But that’s not all, they need to have an overall understanding of the business.  

When you start out you need to start practicing leadership skills if you want to progress quickly. You must know what everyone has to do to complete the job and make the customers satisfied. 

Sharon Pinkhasov: Running a business is the most rewarding thing in the world.  

Being your own boss and working for yourself is amazing and inspiring.  

Having all these amazing professionals working alongside me and helping me create the magic, just feels amazing. We create an amazing experience for our guests and clients.  

Running a business can be extremely difficult and frustrating at times. 

Often, you will be overwhelmed and want to quit, but at the end of the day we need to remind ourselves why we are doing what we are doing. Just take a look at the final product and you will immediately start thinking: ‘This is why I am here’. 

Sharon Pinkhasov: It is very difficult. That is something that used to affect me more when I started the business, but to this day it hasn’t changed much.  

When I started physically running my business, I realized that on some events I was the only female Chef.  

Reflecting on this hardship, I am not even going to mention competing with other bakers, and how many times someone got to cater at an event just due to their gender.  

Sometime this can be quite frustrating, I’m not going to lie. And I’ve picked up on these things over the last few months, specifically in Miami. It is a though market.  

Sharon Pinkhasov: Running this business in New York was much easier. It took me over ten years to build my business, but the opportunities in New York were infinite.  

After moving to Miami, I feel like I’m starting again, maybe not from square one, but not close to where I left things off in New York.  

In Miami everybody sticks to their own people. Nobody just wants to kind of branch out and try new things. And it’s a very small community here. Everybody wants to work with the people they know.  

In New York there are so many different professionals. We were able to kind of get together and bring something different to the table, whereas here it’s kind of like you only have 5 people that you’re in competition with. The most frustrating fact si that we are all pretty similar.  

Sharon Pinkhasov: It’s actually very simple. Start sooner, be smart about finances and keep your head in the game.  

I know most people say: ‘Don’t put your eggs in one basket’. But I strongly disagree with this. Put all your eggs in one basket! Put everything you have and a bit more into your passion, your dream and just go!  

Passion will bring you further than anything else. It will bring you closer to where you want to be. It takes primate to any degree you can think about.