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The smell of delectable Oreo cheesecake and sweet red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting filled the air at the grand opening of L.A Sweets’s 2nd location on Sunday, June 1st, right next to the iconic Apollo Theater and Renaissance Hotel at 219 West 125th Street in Harlem in New York City.

“I came here because it’s culture,” said owner Loretta Calderon. “I wanted to come to W. 125th because it’s a whole different side of town, even though it’s close to the other store,” said Calderon.

L.A. Sweets NY is a beloved bakery in Harlem with Southern roots and family recipes from North Carolina.   The 1st location at 192 Malcolm X Blvd, in between W.120th Street and Malcom X Blvd, opened in 2017. Since then, L.A. Sweets has been a favorite among celebrities like rapper 50 Cent,  Actress Whoopi Goldberg, Media Billionaire Oprah Winfrey, R&B producer Babyface, Heavyweight Boxer Mike Tyson, Luke Cage star Mike Colter, and Food Critic The Real Chef Paper (IG@therealchefpaper),

All their photos are hanging on the wall in their Malcolm X location. The bakery has been featured on WPIX-11’s morning feature story series Ben Around Town in 2022. and with Daymond John, CEO of FUBU, in September 2023.

The bakery has catered parties for companies like New York Urban League and custom birthday cakes for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Head Chef of Harlem’s Red Rooster, Marcus Cooks, and Grammy-winning R&B singer Fantasia Barrino-Taylor, who won season 3 of American Idol.

According to L.A. Sweets’ Instagram, on May 28th announced the official opening date of the second location, saying, “What started as a dream right here in Harlem has blossomed into something even bigger. We’re proud to announce the opening of our second location, right here in the neighborhood that made it all possible.”

Eight years later, Calderon officially opened their 2nd location. This location is a grab-and-go location for the busy traffic on W.125th Street. The location is a sweet spot next to the Apollo Theater and the Renaissance Theater. “We’ve been sitting on this location since last September,” said Calderon.”

Finally, the store opened with vibrant energy, with the store painted in bright hot pink and the iconic L.A. Sweets logo of a cartoon version of Calderon on the wall. The music was blasting with DJ Jeff Haze (IG@djjeffhaze). “Pink is my favorite color, lipstick color,  nail color, and the color represents women!” said Calderon.

The team at L.A. Sweets hit the streets getting customers passing by and locals, down to the street vendors, and police officers to come in and purchase from the new location. “I’m promoting because this is my people and I am part of the business,” said Richard C. Knowles, aka Uncle Rich (IG@the_good_news_hangout).

He is a Harlem gospel promoter in Harlem, who went outside and engaged with the Harlem community with his affectionate energy.” I want to promote to a degree where if I enjoy it, you’re going to enjoy it!” said Knowles. Knowles didn’t hold back on his favorites in the bakery,

”Well, I love everything, but I love anything with vanilla or their chocolate chip cookies. I’m just on!” he said.

The bakery will have a delicious menu of bakery goods. Custom Cakes for birthdays or special events can be created with a 24-hour notice at $47.99, cakes by the slice for $8.99, cupcakes for $4.99, cheesecake for $49.99, and cookies for $2.99. For the cupcake, they offer a 6-pack deal for $35.99. The bakery also offers vegan options on request, with their vegan cinnamon rolls and vegan apple crisps.

With the opening of the 2nd location, L.A. Sweets is reaching out to the community with upcoming social events. On July 26th, L.A. Sweets will hold their first fun and flavorful Sip & Decorate (BYOB) cake decorating class at the new location from 5:30 PM-8 PM. Calderon will be teaching cake baking and decorating techniques on a 6-inch cake. Tickets can be purchased online on Eventbrite.

As an entrepreneur, reaching this huge milestone in today’s tight economic environment, Calderon shared that she was her greatest pride in being a Black and female business in Harlem. “My favorite thing is inspiring others,” she said. “Because people are going to say, if she can do it, I can do it.”