Award-winning sweet treats are downtown Sydney café’s claim to fame
Close your eyes and imagine holding a waffle cone in your hand. But this cone isn’t topped with a scoop of ice cream. Inside the white chocolate rimmed cone is homemade whipped cheesecake studded with strawberry crumble.
Cheesecake waffle cones, which come topped with homemade strawberry crumble or Skor bits, are a bestseller for Mandy-Lee Melski, the owner of Heavenly Sweet Creations Café in downtown Sydney.
Mandy-Lee first opened the café on February 21, 2023 … almost 10 years to the day of starting her business out of her home kitchen. At first, she baked sweets for order only. Now, with some help from the CBDC, she has a brick-and-mortar location that offers so much more.
“I started back in February 2013 – I was working remotely for a healthcare company at the time, but I needed a little something on the side, like so many of us do – something creative to do,” Mandy-Lee explains. “In 2022, we partnered with the CBDC on creating a business plan and getting a start-up loan.”
Her favourite treats to make are cake pops and OREOs decorated with Disney characters using white chocolate infused with many different colours. The café has expanded its offerings to include a lunch menu, with hot pressed paninis and homemade soups in hopes of having customers stick around for a little longer.
“A lot of it is people coming in, picking it up and then going,” Mandy-Lee says. “I’d love to see them come in and enjoy the space. We do have our regulars, which is nice.”
CBDC has been there every step of the way with Heavenly Sweet Creations – ever since the café opened its doors a little over two years ago. Mandy-Lee says they worked with advisor Bailey MacIntosh while writing a business plan, mapping out monthly projections, renovating the space and building the kitchen.
When asked if tourist season provides more business for her café, Mandy-Lee says, “We get more local support!”
“It is always a pleasure to help clients navigate their ideas and to watch their dreams become reality,” CBDC Advisor Bailey MacIntosh explains. “It was obvious from day one that Mandy-Lee had a clear vision for her business and was determined to achieve her goals. Her café is a labour of love, and it is evident in every detail, from the meticulously placed sprinkle decals on her pink walls to the beautiful (and delicious) handcrafted treats she makes. It is a delight working with clients like Mandy-Lee who are hungry to explore new opportunities, work hard, and turn their passion into something the whole community can enjoy!”
Besides serving customers her culinary creations, coffee, tea, lattes, mocktails and milkshakes, Mandy-Lee also hosts unique, free events at her café. A friend performs as Disney characters and has an amazing voice, so Heavenly Sweet Creations partnered with her to host events – including a Taylor Swift themed one, Little Mermaid and the Frozen-themed event featuring Elsa was packed.
Events aren’t the only thing this sweet retreat is known for. Mandy-Lee’s company has won awards in both 2023 and 2024 from CommunityVotes Cape Breton. The café won platinum for best chocolate shop, bakery and specialty coffee, gold for best dessert and best coffee shop, and silver in the “all restaurants” category.
“We had the Easter Bunny and Santa visit the café, but Santa wasn’t as popular as the bunny, so we may not have him back next year,” Mandy-Lee laughs. “Easter was our biggest time of year in 2024 – we do surprise eggs for Easter and people can pre-order and get their child’s name on the egg, written in chocolate.”
What does the future look like for the Heavenly Sweet Creations Café? Mandy-Lee would love to expand her website to include e-commerce so customers can order online with ease. She’s also considering a subscription box service.
“In the future, I’d love to expand, have a few locations eventually,” she says.