Welcome to SugarHero! I’m Elizabeth–a former pastry chef, a current food writer and recipe developer, and a perpetual lover of all things sweet.
A sugarhero in her natural habitat–a candy store
This site originally began as a humble little blogspot blog called Cake or Death back in 2006. It managed to survive years of shameful neglect, and in 2011 I finally gave it a legitimate home and a brand-new identity at SugarHero.com. All of the old blospot content has been moved over, so as a result some of the older recipes and photos are a little rough, and you might see occasional mentions of Cake or Death. Do not be baffled. This is known as Progress.
SugarHero is my place to celebrate my love of sweets, share recipes and photographs of my favorite desserts, and mingle with like-minded pastry lovers. Every now and then a savory recipe might sneak its way into rotation, but this will always be a site primarily built on butter, cream, and lots of sugar.
About Me
I began my culinary career working as a pastry chef in a number of Los Angeles bakeries and restaurants, but over the past 5 years I’ve gradually transitioned to being a full-time self-employed food writer and photographer. This basically means I’m a pajama-wearing workaholic with a persistently dirty kitchen, an overworked computer, and the world’s highest grocery bills. I feel so lucky to have this life and I love every minute of it.
I live in the Los Angeles area with my husband Jason. He’s a historian and writer who Thinks Deep Thoughts for a living. He’s also an enthusiastic eater who loves everything I make, which is good for the ego but bad for recipe testing and quality control purposes.
Lounging in a bowling alley, as one does
In 2012 we welcomed this little sugar baby into our home. He’s pretty much the best thing ever, and I’m not just saying that because I can dress him up in ridiculous candy-related clothing. He makes finding time for cooking, photography, and writing infinitely harder, but he also makes life in general infinitely better. It’s a fair trade.
My second “baby” that arrived in 2012 is a cookbook! I’m excited to announce that The Sweet Book of Candy Making
In addition to my book and my work here on SugarHero, I’m also the Candy Guide at About.com, an online division of the New York Times Company. Please feel free to stop by the About.com Candy site to see what fun things I’ve been cooking lately! You can find much (MUCH) more information about my food writing, food photography, and professional background on my portfolio site, ElizabethLaBau.com. Come visit and poke around for awhile.
And if that doesn’t keep me busy enough, I do freelance food writing/blogging/photography for corporate blogs and publications. If you’re in the market for someone to craft recipes and blog for your publication or company, please do send me an email (elizabeth@sugarhero.com) and maybe we can work together!
When I’m not in the kitchen or behind the camera, I can probably be found on one of the many beautiful trails in the mountains around Los Angeles. I’m passionate about long-distance trail running, and since 2004 I’ve run dozens of trail ultramarathons (50K and 50 mile distances). I like to think that my frequent sugar consumption helps keep me well-fueled for racing! You can read more about my off-road adventures at my running blog, Running With Sugars.
Behind the Scenes
This blog is built on a WordPress platform, using the Headway Theme. The recipe page and print functionality is powered by Recipage, which I cannot recommend enough. It’s a powerful tool backed by helpful, friendly people, and it’s free! Can’t beat that.
Since the end of 2009, the photos on this blog have been shot with a Canon Rebel T1i
Prior to that, I used a point and shoot that has since gone to its grave. I edit all of the photos using Adobe Photoshop
I participate in the Amazon affiliate program, so it’s safe to assume that any Amazon links you find on this site are affiliate links. This means that if you click on them and buy something, I get a little money to put toward my Sugar Fund. Yessss! The ads on this site are primarily served by Rivit Media.
All material copyright Elizabeth LaBau. All rights reserved.
