Baking in the Bend {Pt.2} with Nilou Gibson
Aimee and Emily meet with Nilou Gibson, owner of Sweetwater Pies, on part two of a two-part bakery-themed series to discuss running her pie business out of Sugarland, Texas.
In this episode, Aimee, Emily, and Nilou cover:
- Growing up in California and making her way to Texas
- Shifting career paths from nurse to full-time pie lady
- Finding inspiration in fellow bakers and pie-makers
- Keeping up with orders during the pandemic
- Upcoming adventures in classic cake flavors
Important highlights:
Turning a hobby into a career
Nilou’s journey in professional pie-making began when she was still a nurse. After meeting her husband and being introduced to the wonders of buttermilk pie, Nilou’s passion for baking took off and she found herself frequently gifting baked goods to friends, neighbors, and colleagues at the hospital. Fast forward to 2019 and Nilou couldn’t help but take her passion to a serious next level, using word of mouth and social media to sell pies in Texas.
“I was finding ways to fit it in because it was such a neat thing to make something that people were seeking. They wanted it, and they had to have it.”
Making pies with love and care for her customers and her community
Without her community and the amazing impact of word of mouth, Nilou wouldn’t have been able to get Sweetwater Pies to where it is today as a blossoming business and a staple of the local dessert scene. Nilou believes that what really sets her pies and other baked goods apart from anyone else’s are the high-quality ingredients she works hard to source and the passion and love she has for every single recipe in her repertoire.
“Everything’s organic, everything’s whole, everything’s purchased from really great sources, local when I can.”
Planning for the future and making pie full-time
Entrepreneurship comes with a great deal of ups and downs. Nilou can attest to the long hours she works, the late nights spent preparing ingredients, and the countless customers she communicates with every single day. However, Sweetwater Pies is her passion and she’s made this her full-time career after many years spent in nursing. With lots of orders to fill and even more goals to meet, Nilou showcases just how important it is to support the small businesses that enrich our community and make Fort Bend an incredible place to live.
“It’s one of those things when you know you’re in the right business because you enjoy every second of it.”
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To grab a slice of Sweetwater Pies and to keep an eye out for their upcoming cake flavors, check them out on Instagram, Facebook, and their website.
Check out Nilou’s pie inspiration and mentor, Marie Saba, on Instagram.
Find out more about Nilou’s pie cookbook inspiration, The Book on Pie by Erin Jeanne McDowell, on Instagram.
Keep up with all things Blockhouse Coffee on their website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Learn more about the Guild on their website, Facebook, and Instagram.
Say hello to our sponsor for season two, The Development Corporation of Richmond.
