Alyssa Antal is #MadeForKnoxville

As a little girl, Alyssa dreamed of owning her own bakery. A childhood filled with Food Network and borrowed cookbooks eventually led her to discover a passion for baking and pastry arts.

As an adult, Knoxville helped Alyssa turn her childhood dream into a reality. She brings worldly culinary experience and elegance to her craft, and her bakery adds a sweet touch to Knoxville’s thriving small business scene. A cake from Sugar Social is more than just a sweet treat–it’s the product of a lifelong passion.

“I wholeheartedly believe that this business would not have grown as quickly as it has if I were not in Knoxville.”

In Their Own Words..

Food has been my lifelong passion. As a kid, I preferred Food Network over cartoons and would borrow cookbooks at the library. I studied culinary arts and marketing in high school, then earned my degree in Baking and Pastry Arts from Johnson & Wales University. 

I’ve produced and decorated cakes, pastries, and other desserts for a wide variety of businesses including a French bakery, a world-renowned resort, an allergen-free bakery, a grocery chain, a bagel shop, and a local cake shop. These experiences have given me an extensive skillset, but i’ve always dreamed of being my own boss. 

I moved to Knoxville summer of 2015 to work at Blackberry Farm, but I quickly learned that Knoxville was MADE for makers and small businesses. I thought, “That’s me, 100%.”

My dream has always been to open a dessert and cocktail lounge one day, but with the arrival of my firstborn son (and a looming global pandemic), I decided to start out with a business that would be more within reach. 

Enter Sugar Social Cakes, the foundation on which I hope to build a brand for the future of Sugar Social–Dessert Lounge. 

I wholeheartedly believe that this business would not have grown as quickly as it has if I were not in Knoxville. The support from other local businesses and the community as a whole has been overwhelming. We can’t wait to see where this scruffy city takes us!

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