If you are craving a delicious treat, visit the new ‘Sweet Reserve Bakery’, located at 635 E Roosevelt Road.

Featuring a wide variety of sweets, chocolates, cakes, coffees, chais and much more, this new addition to Lombard is a perfect way to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Sumaiyah Vahora and Humera Rauf welcomed patrons into their new bakery in August 2021, but their story dates back further.

Vahora independently started her business about four years ago, while finding a solution to a conflict. She didn’t enjoy the sugariness and sweet taste of the typical buttercream frosting and was determined to find an alternative.

In 2017, under the name ‘Luscious Layers’, Vahora started making beautiful cakes and exquisite desserts for special occasions such as weddings, birthdays and parties, right from her own kitchen. 

Soon after, she met Humera Rauf while teaching at a local school. The two bonded over their love of cooking and baking and decided to take ‘Luscious Layers’ to the next level together – and the Sweet Reserve Bakery was formed. 

The opening month of business has been outstanding. Social media has been buzzing with the announcements of promotions, giveaways and menu items. The bakery quickly sold out multiple times during their successful first weeks. 

I visited the Sweet Reserve Bakery during its grand opening weekend. 

When I first walked in, I was greeted enthusiastically by the front staff. They graciously talked me through their wide selection of delectable treats. It was so difficult to pick just one item, so my family and I bought a bunch of them!

I ordered a pina colada and macaroons while my mom ordered Kashmiri chai, a cake jar and a peanut butter cookie! 

The desserts were absolutely beautiful and delicious, and after one bite I decided that I would definitely be back often to try every food on the menu. 

The bakery was beautifully decorated with aesthetic, colorful desserts arranged neatly in clear display cases. 

People sat in booths along the wall as well as stood to the side- laughing, making new friends and munching on their treats.

I felt an immediate sense of community in this venue, and I could tell everyone else there did as well. 

Sweet Reserve Bakery and its owners have gone through many setbacks as well as victories in the journey of becoming a formal bakery.

Vahora and Rauf have overcome obstacles such as people putting them down for being Muslim women, balancing the workload with their home lives and also finding a building space to put the bakery.

Advice that they would give to any aspiring entrepreneurs and students in general is that: if you believe in something, follow that dream and do whatever it takes to achieve it. Hard work truly pays off!

If you are interested in visiting the Sweet Reserve Bakery, the address is 635 E Roosevelt Road, Lombard. They are open all seven days a week from 11:00AM to 8:00PM. 

If you would like to follow their progress and menu updates, the bakery’s public Instagram page is @thesweetreservebakery.