SUSINA HISTORY

Susina Bakery was born, conceptually at least, when owner Jenna Turner was a girl in Deal, New Jersey. Her mother, Joya, owned the SugarPlum bakery there, a popular shop famous for its cream cheese brownies, Raggedy Ann and Andy cakes, and intricate ginger bread houses. Turner took the bus to the SugarPlum after school each day to help out. “I couldn’t wait to get to there,” she says. “I just loved it.”

So maybe it’s not too surprising that she found herself following a career path in the food world. After college Turner held managerial positions with such pioneers as Wolfgang Puck and Fred Eric (chef/owner of Vida and Fred 62). She worked at the Farm in Beverly Hills, Voda in Santa Monica and Geoffrey’s in Malibu. It was after getting her Masters degree in Business that Turner began thinking of opening a high end bakery. In 2001 she found an ideal location on a bustling, up and coming strip of Beverly Boulevard. She spent a year working with Bill Brzeski, a production designer whose films include As Good As It Gets and Cat Woman, to create an old-fashioned European-style space with tile floors, rich wood accents, and high shelving to hold her beautiful glass jars of imported candy.

When the store, originally called Sugar Plum, opened in 2002, it was an immediate hit. Word traveled quickly of the tiny Italian style cookies, the fresh fruit tarts, the house made croissants, and coffee so good that workers from the nearby chains came in for espressos and lattes rather than drink their own! Indulgent dog owners grab a bag of her homemade biscuits (chicken and beef stock, oats, egg whites) along with their order.

To avoid confusion with a commercial bakery, Sugar Plum changed its name to Susina in 2004. It continues to thrive and evolve. Turner, for example, has added American comfort foods like chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies, banana cream and coconut cream pies to the repertoire. The bakery now serves delicious salads, panini sandwiches and soup and stays open until 11 p.m.

Susina has become an integral part of the neighborhood as well as a destination for Angelenos who seek out the best a bakery has to offer. And Turner, who frequents international food shows to keep her inventory varied and exclusive, is in her element. “I get to make people happy with food and candy and sweets,” she says. What could be better than that?