Safeera Inayath. Photos: Chris Emeott
A Prior Lake baker designs intricately decorated French macarons.
Prior Lake’s Safeera Inayath’s unexpected journey from stay-at-home mom to celebrated macaron artist is a story of resilience, creativity and, most inspiring of all, a quest for personal fulfillment. The founder of Sugar Dust & Sprinkles—a cottage business focused on custom cakes and delicately decorated macarons—overcame isolation to find her passion and turn it into a thriving business.
The intricately handpainted designs on Safeera Inayath’s macarons have made them a centerpiece of her cottage bakery, Sugar Dust & Sprinkles.
A New Beginning
Inayath, who grew up in India, moved to Shakopee in 2010 to join her husband, Mohammed, who had been living in Minnesota since 2000. The couple’s oldest daughter, Rida, was 2 at the time, and combining a global move with caring for a toddler was often overwhelming, Inayath says. “It was a big transition,” she says. “I had no family, no friends here. It was really hard.”
Her husband, a quality analyst in IT, had a strong social circle of friends, but Inayath didn’t truly feel part of things. “I was homesick and lonely,” she says. “I wasn’t driving, so I depended on my husband for everything.”
That same year, she found out she was pregnant with her second baby, a transition that is challenging for most moms and about which Inayath speaks with refreshing candor. “That transition was really, really bad,” she says. “But we slowly started adjusting.”
In an effort to acclimate to her new environment, Inayath began taking her daughter to Early Childhood Family Education classes. “It was a nice learning curve,” she says. “I met new moms and learned about the school culture here.”
But it was an auspicious visit to the gym that sparked a new passion. “I would watch the Food Network while working out,” Inayath says. “The Pioneer Woman caught my eye with her baking.”
Inspired, Inayath decided to try her own hand at baking. She started experimenting with simple cakes and desserts, much to the delight of her husband and coworkers at a tutoring center, where she’d gotten a part-time job. Most importantly, the baking exercises gave her something to focus on during long days at home with her young children. “Babies eat and sleep and like to look around,” she says with a smile. “It was pretty easy to bake in the background.”
Birth of a Baker
For Rida’s 7th birthday, “I made her a simple cake,” Inayath says. “It wasn’t great, but she loved it.” Inayath had officially been bitten by the pastry bug. She took cake decorating classes at a local craft store and honed her skills through YouTube tutorials.
By Rida’s 8th birthday, Inayath was able to craft a stunning cake, which also included her first attempt at those most challenging French pastries: macarons. Despite the difficulty, her first batch was perfect—maybe a sign from the universe that she was pursuing the right path. “I couldn’t believe it,” she says. “They were so tasty.”
In addition to custom-made, handpainted macarons, Safeera Inayath bakes and decorates elegant cakes for all occasions, including weddings and birthdays. Photos: Safeera Inayath
As Inayath’s baking skills improved, her colleagues encouraged her to start selling her creations. “I found out about the Minnesota Cottage Food Law and decided to register,” she says. And in 2016, she officially launched Sugar Dust & Sprinkles. “I started small with orders from friends and word of mouth,” she says.
Her big break came when she began showcasing her creations on Instagram, which significantly boosted her visibility and client base. In 2017, the family moved from Shakopee to their current home in Prior Lake—and found out they were expecting child No. 3, Umair. “I took a little break from orders,” Inayath says. “But then I started back up full time in 2019.”
Mastering Macarons
While Inayath offers a variety of baked goods, macarons have become her specialty. She attributes her success to a combination of passion and meticulous learning. “Macarons are tricky,” she says. “But I love the challenge.” Her bite-sized masterpieces are visually stunning (in addition to delicious), often decorated with intricate watercolor designs inspired by her love for art.
“I used to do henna art and always loved drawing and painting,” even as a little girl, she says. This unique skill has become a significant differentiator of her business. “Clients loved the custom designs. It’s become a big part of what I do,” she says.
Inayath uses gel food colors, mixed with water, and a watercolor paintbrush to create a tiny “canvas” on each macaron. There are delicate florals, perfect for tea parties or weddings; sweet animal designs for birthday parties; and seasonal specialties, like bunnies for Easter or prayer beads and moons for Ramadan.
Balancing Act
Managing a growing business while raising three children is no small feat. Rida (16), Uzair (13) and Umair (5) often see their mother juggling baking and parenting with grace. “It’s challenging, but I make it work,” she says. “I bake when the kids are asleep or at school. It’s all about finding balance.”
In some ways, it was parenthood itself that sparked Inayath’s new dream to open a bakery. She now shares that perspective with other young moms who might be feeling isolated: Find something you are passionate about. “It’s important to have something for yourself,” she says. “For me, baking was therapeutic. It gave me a sense of independence and accomplishment.”
Safeera Inayath is known for the custom designs she paints on macarons. Photo: Chris Emeott
Inayath dreams of expanding her business into a commercial kitchen and focusing more on craft and farmers’ markets in addition to custom orders. “I want to provide my products to other bakeries and focus on holiday markets,” she says. And if anyone can make the next leap, it’s this supermom.
Sugar Dust & Sprinkles
Instagram: @sugardustandsprinkles_
