What started as a small wholesale bakery helping local chefs with desserts has blossomed into one of Seattle’s sweetest success stories. Sweet! Bakery owner Alina Muratova turned her passion into a neighborhood haven where creativity, community, and a love of good dessert are front and center.
Please introduce yourself.
My name is Alina, and I’m the owner of Sweet! Bakery here in Seattle on Phinney. Sweet! Bakery is the retail side of our business, which originally started as a wholesale dessert company. I began it to help restaurant chefs—like my husband, who was a chef at a Japanese restaurant—who often don’t have the space or resources for a pastry chef, so desserts get overlooked.
We launched six years ago, working out of commissary kitchens, doing pop-ups, and selling at farmers markets. Exactly a year ago, on November 1st, we moved into this space. It came with a small retail area and a refrigerator case, so we started our retail operations as a continuation of our pop-up series. Now, with a permanent location, it’s been an amazing journey.
So how did you get your start baking? What is your background?
Oh gosh, that was many years ago! I was living in North Carolina and working as a hostess at a restaurant. Our pastry chef went on maternity leave, and they needed someone to bake desserts. I asked if I could try, and luckily, the chef said yes. I started at a restaurant in the Outer Banks called Ocean Boulevard and worked there for a couple of years.
After that, I decided to attend pastry school at the Art Institute of Seattle, which brought me to Seattle. I bounced around the city for a while, gaining experience, and eventually opened my own business.
Where can we find your desserts at restaurants?
We work with quite a few! You can find our desserts at 2120 near the Spheres, Japonessa downtown and in Bellevue, Tavern Hall, and Daniel’s Broiler. We also supply Pasta & Company in U Village and Bellevue, as well as Lumen, Climate Pledge Arena, MoPOP, and the Space Needle. Basically, we’re popping up here, there, and everywhere!
So what kind of things are you baking up?
We make a lot! Mostly, we’re a wholesale dessert company, so anything flour- and sugar-related is fair game. For our display case, we focus on our favorites—treats we love and want to share with the community.
We offer a few gluten-free options we’re especially proud of, including a chocolate pistachio torte. Other favorites include Basque cheesecakes in vanilla and pumpkin, a wildly popular mango mochi cake, and of course, our tiramisus—especially the tiramisu in a can, which has become quite a hit.
Tell us about the tiramisu in a can!
Oh my goodness, that thing is so fun! The idea came from a boba tea experience—I was drinking a canned beverage and thought, “Why not put a cake in a can?” I was convinced I was the first person to have this genius idea. I even showed a friend, and he was impressed… until that night, he sent me a photo of a vending machine in Japan dispensing cakes in cans. So, not the first—but the idea still keeps me up at night. I want to get a little cake vending machine right here in our corner someday.
And the flavor—pistachio tiramisu?
Pistachios are having such a moment, and I’d had a salted pistachio latte at the Sip House in the U District a few years ago that I still remember fondly. Combined with the influence of Dubai chocolate—which has become almost legendary—it just made sense. That’s how pistachio tiramisu came to be: a little inspiration from drinks, a little from chocolate trends, and a lot from “this just sounds delicious.”
Intentionalist encourages people to shop locally and “spend like it matters.” Why is that important to you as both a customer and a business owner?
I’ve been thinking a lot about this recently. When you spend money at big-box stores or chains, most of that money leaves the community and ends up somewhere else entirely. It doesn’t benefit the neighborhood you live in.
Supporting local businesses keeps money circulating within the community—among neighbors and friends—and helps enrich all of us. As a business owner, I see firsthand how important it is to invest in the people and places around us, because that’s what really strengthens our community.
Sweet!’s holiday tower – preorder online through the holidays!
Anything we should know or expect during the holiday season? Do things change, or should people pre-order?
Absolutely! We’ve got some really exciting holiday offerings. Let me show you – this is our holiday tower. It opens up to reveal four layers of goodness: truffles, tarts, cream puffs… and for the holidays, we might even add a pie on the bottom layer. It’s essentially a tower of deliciousness, perfect for celebrating the season.
What else would you like people to know about Sweet!?
Oh gosh, we’re amazing… and modest! When I first started this business, it was because I felt unseen and I didn’t feel important. I wanted to create a place where employees feel seen, important, and that they truly matter. That’s what I’d like Sweet! to be known for -a business that values its people, recognizes their humanity, and celebrates the fact that we’re more than just a part of a machine.
What are other businesses in the neighborhood that you like to support?
We’re located on Phinney between 62nd and 61st, and we have some amazing neighbors. My favorite is Kirsten at Cheeky and Dry – she runs a beautiful non-alcoholic beverage shop, and it’s just wonderful. Sully from the Snow Goose Saloon across the street is another gem; he welcomed us from day one and has been our number-one customer, stopping by every day for cookies.
Honestly, our retail customers are amazing too. Everyone who comes in has been so welcoming. Now that we have our little LED sign, more people are noticing us and stopping by, saying, “Welcome to the neighborhood.” It’s been incredible to feel so embraced by this community.