Prospering Company: Sweet and Savory Bake Shop

Put Debra Meyers and Scott Eschelbach into the latter category.

Seven years ago, the two were working as pastry chefs at Holiday Market in Royal Oak when they decided to suddenly shift course.

"We quit our jobs on the same day," says Meyers, "and three weeks later we opened this place."

This place is Sweet and Savory Bake Shop of Oxford, which has been keeping the Oakland County region sweet for nearly a decade thanks to the dedication of Meyers and Eschelbach. Both are pastry chefs with 20 years experience: Meyers worked for 12 years in California's Bay Area and started her career working under renowned chef and author Alice Medrich, while Eschelbach attended the culinary arts program at Oakland Community College and honed his artistic flair under the mentorship of Yvonne Uhlianuk.

The shop opened in late October 2002 because Meyers and Eschelbach wanted to be sure to catch the holiday crowd ("Everybody goes on a diet in January," says Meyers.), and it soon won the Oxford Chamber of Commerce's New Business of the Year Award.

Meyers notes the unorthodox foray into the small-business world gave them a singular determination to make it work. "We didn't have any choice but to succeed," she says.

And succeed they did. Out of their single cozy location in downtown Oxford, Meyers and Eschelbach don't so much make desserts as they do dreams dipped in sugar — offering a wide variety of cakes and pastries for weddings and other special events.

Want a cake depicting Detroit landmarks? How about a wedding cake that could be in an art museum? Sweet and Savory Bake Shop continue to gain word-of-mouth praise and renown.

"Word-of-mouth is very important for us," says Meyers. "We've built a really good reputation."

It's a reputation that's endured a prolonged Michigan recession, a fact Meyers credits to quality and integrity. "The quality of our product, quality of our ingredients and the quality of our work is what really makes us exceptional," she says.

Two years ago, Meyers and Eschelbach took the Venture Forward program, a 10-week series of training sessions offered by the Oakland County Business Center. It helps existing entrepreneurs grow their businesses by developing sound business practices and action plans.

Meyers says the Venture Forward program helped them reevaluate their business and direct energies to what things make them stand out and be profitable, "rather than trying to be everything to everybody."

The two owners strike an important balance with their respective strengths. Meyers is the pragmatic businesswoman; Eschelbach is the artist who, as Meyers puts it, is an expert at "painting in buttercream."

If Meyers and Eschelbach are stepping up their business model, they're stepping up their community presence as well. They have donated to local fund-raisers for a local food bank and the Michigan AIDS Coalition. They have also raised $5,000 for Heifer International and The Water Project with the help of customers and donations.

Future plans include finding a bigger building space and to develop a wholesale business, two goals that weren't even on the horizon when the two found themselves unemployed seven years ago.

Meyers isn't exactly surprised by the outcome, always having faith in her dream. It's advice she would give to someone just starting out in the business world.

"Really just believe in what you do," she advises, adding that hard work and integrity are also tantamount to success. "Treat people who work for you like diamonds, because they're valuable."

Finally, it helps to have someone more experienced in the field to help guide your way, says Meyers. "Find a mentor and try to live up to the standards set by the person you most admire in your field."

Sweet and Savory Bake Shop is located at 9 S. Washington in Oxford. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information call (248) 628-4210 or visit the Web site at www.sweetandsavoryonline.com.