Rachel Arrieta and Ana Torres, Plano residents and co-owners of Sugar Ray’s Bake Shop, said the division of the shop’s space is reflective of their business model in that approximately two-thirds of their shop is designated kitchen space while the storefront fills the remaining space.

“Our catering and custom order business is 90% of our business,” Arrieta said. “When I started, I knew that the walk-in [business] was just going to be gravy on top.”

On the menu

The bakery sells cakes, cupcakes, cookies, macarons, pies and more.

“We bake fresh every day seven flavors of cupcakes,” Torres said. “We also always have a variety of flavors of macarons and brownies. For custom orders we can do cakes, frosted sugar cookies and decorated cupcakes.”


Four of the made-every day options are red velvet, milk chocolate, hazelnut and vanilla.

“We switch our menu every month ... based on popularity and flavors we invent that we think would be fun and good,” Arrieta said. “That’s what we love—experimenting in the kitchen.”

Arrieta said their chocolate chip cookies are top sellers, which she describes as “crunchy and soft and the chocolate chips are so gooey.”

What makes them special?


Arrietta said she came up with all the base recipes when she started the business and from there every flavor comes from a base. For example, all chocolate flavors come from the chocolate base.

“Once you have a solid base recipe, you can create any flavor from there,” Arrieta said. “We have to be priced where we’re priced because we get the highest quality ingredients. We use all pure ingredients, there is no Crisco, shortening or fake butter. It is all cream cheese and real butter.”

Meet the owners

Arrieta opened Sugar Ray’s Bake Shop in 2013 after developing a following by selling her baked goods at local cafes and Neiman Marcus Trunk Shows.


“I didn't even know I was good at baking. I did not go to school for it—I never took a class. I kind of just taught myself,” Arrieta said. “I was experimenting in the kitchen after I graduated college and made one cake for my mom, and it kind of just took off.”

Torres became a business partner three years ago after working at Sugar Ray’s for two years.

“I started doing cakes and cupcakes for my family and friends in Colombia ... I had taken some fondant and decorating classes,” Torres said. “I planned on [opening] a bakery but we moved here. I met [Rachel] and we have the same style.”

Arrieta said she and Torres have worked together so well from the beginning and have always been able to naturally split responsibilities based on one another’s strengths without really talking about it.


Why we love it

Sugar Ray’s has filled a variety of special requests and typically tells customers if they can imagine it, Sugar Ray’s can make it. Some of their more unusual requests include a three dimensional airplane and a Lamborghini logo.

“We did a catering event for Riley Green, the country music singer, at Toyota Music Factory,” Arrieta said. “They hired us to do all their desserts for all the artists. We set it all up and made an actual guitar [cake] that looked exactly like his guitar. It was really cool. That's the kind of thing we love doing.”