Hands-on baking studio Sweet Spot finds new owner as Charlotte baker moves to Alaska
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Jossie Lukacik won the Foot Network "Christmas Cookie Challenge" last year. Photo: Alex Baughman/Folly Girl Photography, courtesy of Jossie Lukacik
Sweet Spot Studio owner Jossie Lukacik is preparing for a major life change: She's relocating to Juneau, Alaska, and handing over her Charlotte baking school to a new owner.
Why it matters: Lukacik has spent nearly a decade building Sweet Spot into one of Charlotte's best-known baking hubs, popular for its sourdough and pastry classes. Instead of closing, the studio will live on under new ownership, ensuring its staff and loyal students still have a home.
Driving the news: Local chef and entrepreneur Mara Norris from The Foodie School will take over the studio starting early next year.
- The new studio, located in Fort Mill, will be called The Foodie School Sweet Side.
- "She's keeping anyone from my staff who wants to stay," Lukacik tells Axios, adding that two of her employees are stepping into bigger opportunities as part of the change.
What to expect: "Guests can look forward to many of the Sweet Spot favorites continuing, including lots of cookie decorating, sourdough, cake workshops, macarons, French pastries, the 12-week professional training program, and private events like the 'Nailed-It' challenge," Norris tells Axios.
- Norris also plans to introduce savory offerings such as homemade pasta, sushi, and knife-skills workshops, along with new daytime classes for parents and young children. Several Sweet Side favorites will also appear on the Fort Mill calendar.
If you go: Sweet Spot Studio is at 4418 Monroe Road in Oakhurst, near Common Market.
- The Foodie School is at 300 Springhill Farm Road in Fort Mill.
Zoom out: Lukacik has two units in Oakhurst — Sweet Spot Studio and a bigger kitchen that she rents out to about 12 tenants, including popular gluten-free bakery The Accidental Baker.
- Because of Lukacik's move, the owner of The Accidental Baker, Matt Cabana, will be able to expand his wholesale operations.
- "I am going to be finding homes for my tenants ... there's a lot of moving pieces, but people don't need to be negatively impacted because we are making a life change," Lukacik says.
Zoom in: Lukacik and her husband, Tim, visited Southeast Alaska this summer and saw unexpected potential in Juneau's cruise ship tourism economy. More than 1.7 million visitors pour into the city each season, she says.
- While there, Lukacik realized sourdough — integral to Alaska's Gold Rush history and a hobby popularized nationwide during the pandemic shutdown — was surprisingly underrepresented. Sweet Spot's wildly successful sourdough classes in Charlotte inspired her to imagine a new bakery concept in Juneau.
- She'll launch Red Bird and Raven, a bakery that blends Southern hospitality with Alaskan tradition. A cruise excursion experience focused on sourdough is also in the works
- Her first introduction to the Alaska market comes this November at the Juneau Public Market, where she'll host baking demos.
Between the lines: Lukacik, who first opened Sweet Spot Kitchen and her wedding cake company, Sweet Affairs, in March 2017, said her decision is partly about timing. Business has been booming, but she says she has economic concerns about Charlotte, where layoffs could ripple into consumer spending.
- "Baking classes are a luxury," she said. "I'd rather end it for myself when things are great than be forced to close later."
The bottom line: After more than eight years of building Sweet Spot Studio, Lukacik is choosing her next chapter on her own terms — bringing a taste of Southern sourdough to a community that values small business.