Sugar Loaf is the manifestation of a long time dream of ours since we first started dating. The name pays homage to our roots. Lindsay grew up on Sugarloaf Court in Virginia, and Nebi grew up in Georgia, not far from local landmarks like Sugarloaf parkway. We met working as professional dancers, and shared a love for cooking and baking instilled in us from our mothers, and a deep connection to our Albanian and Ethiopian heritages.
We were professional dancers for over 20 years, and supported our dance careers by working in the food service industry. Nebi has experience ranging from an assistant pit master at Honkey Tonk BBQ in Chicago, Japanese robatayaki cook, and a baker at Levain Bakery in NYC. Lindsay’s experience ranges from pastry sous chef at The Bristol in Chicago to head pastry chef at Molly's Cupcakes in NYC. She also managed a community cooking school in Chicago whose mission was educating the community through cultural food sharing experiences.
Living on tighter budgets as artists/food service workers, we learned how to cook foods that we wanted to try but couldn't afford. Our dance careers took us on tour traveling the world, which opened up our minds and palettes to food from other cultures.
We were living in NYC in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and were at a crossroads with our careers. While in lockdown, we started recipe testing for our dream cafe menu and shipping baked goods to our friends and family to get feedback. The overwhelming support we received was the push we needed to move to Atlanta and start Sugar Loaf.
In what we consider our "second act", we are driven by a passion to serve our community. We believe food, like dance, is a universal language. Southern cuisine with its inherent global influence is the perfect vessel for us to share our unique culinary perspective.
We strive to make simple food that sparks memories, and we are eager to share ours with you.
-Lindsay and Nebiyu Berhane
Although we are currently a pop-up, our bigger dream is to expand into a breakfast and lunch cafe. Follow our journey on instagram!
We were professional dancers for over 20 years, and supported our dance careers by working in the food service industry. Nebi has experience ranging from an assistant pit master at Honkey Tonk BBQ in Chicago, Japanese robatayaki cook, and a baker at Levain Bakery in NYC. Lindsay’s experience ranges from pastry sous chef at The Bristol in Chicago to head pastry chef at Molly's Cupcakes in NYC. She also managed a community cooking school in Chicago whose mission was educating the community through cultural food sharing experiences.
Living on tighter budgets as artists/food service workers, we learned how to cook foods that we wanted to try but couldn't afford. Our dance careers took us on tour traveling the world, which opened up our minds and palettes to food from other cultures.
We were living in NYC in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and were at a crossroads with our careers. While in lockdown, we started recipe testing for our dream cafe menu and shipping baked goods to our friends and family to get feedback. The overwhelming support we received was the push we needed to move to Atlanta and start Sugar Loaf.
In what we consider our "second act", we are driven by a passion to serve our community. We believe food, like dance, is a universal language. Southern cuisine with its inherent global influence is the perfect vessel for us to share our unique culinary perspective.
We strive to make simple food that sparks memories, and we are eager to share ours with you.
-Lindsay and Nebiyu Berhane
Although we are currently a pop-up, our bigger dream is to expand into a breakfast and lunch cafe. Follow our journey on instagram!
