Sugar Gone Wong – Let’s ‘Choc-O-Bout-It’
Published:Thursday | December 1, 2022 | 12:06 AMOlivia Brown/Gleaner Writer
Fourteen-year-old Sydney Wong is not only baking up sweet treats, but she is also displaying her literary prowess through her cookie business. Wong is the owner of Sugar Gone Wong – a Kingston-based cookie business. She was among some 35 entrepreneurs at the Jamaica Art and Gift Festival (JAGFest) hosted on Murray’s Farm in Toll Gate, Clarendon, on Sunday.
Spice, sugar, and some literature, Wong said she was keen on having interesting names for her cookies and her business.
“I thought [the business name] was cool because it kind of shows that the sugar industry and the bakery industry has come to me,” Wong said with an infectious smile.
She continued: “I do peanut butter cookies which are called ‘Nothing Butter Than This,’ chocolate chip; ‘Let’s Choc-O-Bout-It, Sprinkle Me cookies (made with sprinkles,) and Indulge Me, which are sugar cookies.”
The teen told Food that she ventured into baking as a means of ‘’being productive’’, rather than being at home idly, and the COVID-19 pandemic gave her ample time to master her skills.
Though her business was founded about a month ago, the teen said that she is impressed at the demand for her sweet treats. She cites the quality of her customer service as one factor that has propelled her business.
“I do all my doughs, batters, and everything, and a lot of love and effort is put into them. If I feel as if the cookies don’t turn out properly, I always end up redoing them, or if a client isn’t happy with their cookies (which has never happened before) I would refund them,” she said.
She said, too, she is keen on offering a sweet treat, but without excess sugar. “I want people to actually enjoy them without feeling sick and getting headaches.”
But being a student and running a business is no easy feat. Wong, a student at the American International School of Kingston (AISK), says she balances work and study through discipline and commitment. She also lauds her family as strong support.
“I try to get my homework out of the way, then when I come home, I bake and everything. It is stressful, but I push myself to continue, and the support from others that I get also helps me. I have two really good parents that always support me in everything that I do, and my siblings support me.”
Wong is hoping to expand soon by supplying birthday parties and other functions. She is also eyeing opening a bakery in the future.
Sugar Gone Wong can be found on Instagram @sugar.gone.wong