On a typical Friday night, the line at Sweet Life Pâtisserie begins outside the door. Once inside, three lit shelves await, lined with chocolate-swirled strawberries, cherry-covered tartlets and icing-trickled turnovers.
Kaleidoscopes of fresh fruit, arrangements of real roses and chocolate daisies lay atop cream puffs, parfaits, éclairs, truffles, brownies, scones and cakes, an alluring image for those who are not faithful followers of Dr. Atkins and have a few bucks to spare.
It usually takes people a while to decide what to order, employee Heather Norton said.
“It’s delicious, the best chocolate ever,” customer Mo Olsen said.
In 1993, sisters Cheryl and Catherine Reinhart started the business out of their converted garage before opening the small pastry shop.
“We didn’t like the idea of doing something big,” Cheryl said.
The Pâtisserie, now open until 11 p.m. everyday, originally closed at 6 p.m., Cheryl said.
“We quickly discovered people would be coming to the door all hours after we closed and we slowly started staying open later,” Cheryl said.
“The people are really happy here,” employee Aaron Chester said. “They come in and celebrate.”
It’s no coincidence that many of the desserts look similar to those in the French photos hanging on the Pâtisserie’s wall; Sweet Life’s inspiration came from France, where Catherine attended college.
Prices range from $1 for a small petit four, a bite-sized iced cake, to $5 for a chocolate orb. A slice of cake runs around $4, and prices for whole cakes begin at $15 for cakes serving four to six, and $60 for cakes serving 30 to 60 people.
“Everyone needs chocolate when they are doing math,” Lane Community College student Christine Stewart said over her calculus book .
The Reinharts sensed there was a need for alternative dietary options in the neighborhood and so Sweet Life offers a diverse selection of egg- and dairy-free products, as well as options for alternatively-sweetened cakes, wheat-free cakes, and gluten-free desserts.
Employees can also look up the ingredients to tell the customers exactly what is in a dessert, which people often request, Norton said.
The most popular item, Cheryl said, is the tiramisu cake, which consists of “layers of espresso rum-soaked sponge cake filled with our tiramisu rum cream and chocolate chunks, finished with a bittersweet chocolate ganache,” the menu states.