Today we’d like to introduce you to Daphne Subar.

Hi Daphne, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Subarzsweets has always been a dream that was just waiting for “the right time.” Before I launched Subarzsweets, I was a lawyer for over 25 years, doing my best to juggle my work schedule while also raising my three daughters. Even though I was always busy, I somehow always seemed to find time to bake. I never made the same thing twice – whether it was making brownies for my daughters to bring along for school potlucks, or making a cake in a crockpot for my own family to enjoy as a special treat, I was always baking, and always baking something new.

When one of my daughters was in third grade and working on a school project, she printed out a photo of a bakery with the words “Subars: All bars, one bakery” on it, and stuck it up on the refrigerator. That flyer remained there for many years, always a reminder of something that I could do one day. While I enjoyed the law profession, I also enjoyed baking. I would experiment with recipes, finding ways to make delicious treats that accommodated dietary restrictions and food allergies, and making treats that were for specific holidays and seasons.

When my oldest daughter was considering pursuing a career in theatre, I told her to go for it – that the most important thing was for her to pursue her passions and follow her dreams. That is something that I had always told my three daughters. Then, one day after overhearing me tell others how important it was for my daughter to follow her passion for theatre, they reminded me of that bakery of dreams stuck on our refrigerator door, and asked “but what about yours?”

So, I decided it was time to make a long-time dream a reality. But, before I did so, I wanted to create a unique baked good that was different from anything else available. So, I went back to the kitchen experimenting with the flavors and ingredients that I knew so well to come up with something that combined the crunch of biscotti with the sweetness of a cookie. I didn’t want anything as hard as biscotti but I wanted to preserve the texture of biscotti/mandelbread. I also wanted a fun product and once Subarz were created, I knew that I could expand beyond just the original Traditional Chocolate Chip and began to have fun playing and combining lots of unique flavors and creating Salted Apricot Caramel Subar, Gotcha Matcha Subarz, and Apple Trilogy Subarz.

The journey started with some small investments – purchasing the basic elements I needed to start a bakery out of my kitchen and setting up the business side of my bakery. It was a lot of packaging, labels, website-making, shipping equipment, chocolate, flour, and an abundance of hard work and passion for what I was doing. To start, I launched just one flavor and I started baking Subarz to order. Many of the same people who had enjoyed my baked goods – at school potlucks, at Passover seders, and even around our own dinner table – were the first to put in orders online. Soon enough, more people were enjoying my Subarz, and the circle of people who loved these tasty treats continued to grow.

Subarzsweets has always been a dream that was just waiting for “the right time.” It’s been six years. It’s not just me anymore – I have a hard-working team and have transitioned to a commercial kitchen with baking assistants. We have over 20 varieties, including gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free options, seasonal flavors for holidays such as “BooBarz” for Halloween, and in the spring, we make many of our classic flavors kosher for Passover. You can buy Subarz in a variety of package sizes – and if you really love them as we do, you can subscribe to the Barz Club and get a variety of flavors delivered monthly or quarterly. In addition to our vibrant online business, Subarz can also now be found at local coffee shops as well as locally through Grubhub, UberEats, Doordash, and Postmates. We are excited to see what the future has in store for us, and for our delicious Subarz.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Starting a small business and then navigating a pandemic while trying to juggle that growing business presented many challenges. I have learned so much about myself and others and have been constantly reminded that no matter what may be going on in the world, we can all make a difference, and sending just a little bit of sweetness to someone can brighten their day.

I have experienced gifts being sent to healthcare heroes for going above and beyond during challenging times, I have experienced gifts being sent to neighbors of elderly parents to show gratitude for dropping off groceries and so much more. I have also learned that it is never too late to follow your passion and learn something new. With dedication, hard work and luck dreams can come true.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have three daughters, and they have been an integral part of the Subarzsweets journey. When they were little, I would experiment with new recipes and adapt existing ones to appeal to their various taste preferences, as well as their dietary restrictions and allergies.

Now, I hope that I have led by example, and shown them that it is wonderful to follow your passion and that no one is ever too old to learn something new and try something different. I wake up every morning loving what I do, even when it’s hard work, even when it’s challenging. I hope they can wake up every morning loving what they do too.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
Creating Subarzsweets has brought me endless amounts of joy. Subarzsweets allows me to give back to my community – when Los Angeles shut down during the beginning of the pandemic, we donated Subarz to local healthcare providers to help make their new responsibilities and burdens just a little bit sweeter. We would surprise frontline workers who were nominated with Subarz delivered to their doorstep. We hired unemployed Angelinos to deliver Subarz locally, providing them with income and a job while waiting out the shutdown. We have always tried to give back to our community and support various local organizations including The Oscar Litwak Foundation, Sharsheret, GLSENLA, Sharsheret, and Every Day Action.

I reinvented myself in midlife and surprised myself with how much I could learn. I have had the support of my family and friends throughout this whole journey. I am able to make something good and share it with the world. Even if it makes one person smile today, I’ve done my job. That makes me happy. That inspires me to keep making the world a bit sweeter.

Pricing:

• We offer our Subarz in a variety of sizes – 3 Barz, 8 Barz, 12 Barz, and 24 Barz. Prices start as low as $8.50. We also offer three different subscription packages for anyone with a sweet tooth, with prices starting at $15 per month.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.subarzsweets.com
• Instagram: @Subarz
• Facebook: Subarzsweets
• Phone: 323-905-BARZ