SunriseBy Ariana Huemer

The Beginning
Although she didn’t know it then, Crystal Rice was already in the process of launching Violet Sweet Shoppe as a teenager in California’s central valley in 1995. With a well-developed sweet tooth and a passion for helping animals, Crystal’s vision of opening a vegan baking business was slowly taking form.
After a slightly shaky start (including an apprenticeship with a well-known pastry chef, which she promptly ended upon discovering her mentor was using store-bought cake mixes!), Crystal’s training began in earnest. First working as an assistant pastry chef while still in high school, she perfected the art of making fresh fruit pies from scratch.
From there, Crystal launched her more formal training at a culinary school in Sacramento in 1999. Simultaneously, she worked at Bennett’s Bakery, baking rolls and baguettes for restaurants, as well as crafting delectable tarts, cakes, pies, gallettes and brownies.

Vegan Visions
Crystal’s dedication to delicious desserts coalesced with her passion for a vegan lifestyle when she moved to Portland in 2006.  While in Oregon, she worked as the sales manager for Earthly Delights, a completely vegan bakery.   She also learned how to turn out vegan versions of her favorite desserts, including recasting her favorite childhood treats – Hostess cakes, home-run pies and others – as vegan delights.
A subsequent stint with Beaux Gateaux Wedding Cakes in San Francisco, sculpting chocolate, painting fondant, making truffles and decorating giant, seven-tiered cakes gave Crystal the extra artistic edge to add a sophisticated, visual aesthetic to many of Violet Sweet Shoppe’s cake creations.
A San Francisco Treat
In early 2009, Violet Sweet Shoppe became a reality, and today Crystal turns out vegan versions of all your favorite traditional baked sweets — as well as some innovative creations of her own. Based in San Francisco, Violet Sweet Shoppe has a wide following and is especially well known for its delectable Blueberry Hand Pies – one of Crystal’s original creations.
Crystal herself is particularly proud of her dedication to wholesome ingredients that do not compromise taste. “I really like to make things without sugar,” says Crystal. “I love baking with brown rice or maple syrup and agave.”
But don’t let the health consciousness of Violet Sweet Shoppe fool you; these cholesterol-free, wholesome baked goods are just as sumptuous as the more traditional versions while living up to the standards of the most rigorous vegan.