Business
BY JOVANNA AGUILAR
Dessert Gallery Bakery & Cafe o ers a variety of cookie options like a hand-dipped chocolate chunk cookie.
Dessert Gallery Bakery & Cafe o ers a variety of baked goods including cakes.
Sara Brook founded Dessert Gallery Bakery & Cafe in 1995.
PHOTOS COURTESY DESSERT GALLERY BAKERY & CAFE
Dessert Gallery o ers homemade baked goods
Pastry chef Sara Brook founded Dessert Gallery Bakery & Cafe in 1995 to pursue her passion for baking. The rst location of the bakery opened in Upper Kirby, and a 2024 expansion brought a second location to The Woodlands. Although Brook earned a degree in computer science and sociology from The University of Texas at Austin, she said she pivoted back to baking with her rst company, The Executive Sweet, in 1983. “I was born with my love for baking,” Brook said. “I literally have been baking since I was big enough to stand up on my own two feet.” Meet the chef While working for a law rm, Brook said she realized she wanted to create her own path, which led her to open her rst baking company at the age of 21. The Executive Sweet operated until 1988 in Houston before Brook sold it and opened her second company, Sara Brook Desserts, one week later, operating out of River Oaks Grill. After cus- tomers repeatedly asked for the chocolate sauce Brook had created, The Great Chocolate Cover Up, she decided to focus her time selling it through gourmet food stores. After selling The Great Chocolate Cover Up business in 1992, Brook moved on to open Dessert Gallery Bakery & Cafe. Brook said the original Dessert Gallery on Kirby opened in 1995, and she
expanded the business with a location in The Woodlands in February 2024. From the oven With a team consisting of Dessert Gallery chefs, the bakery o ers baked goods made from scratch. “I’m very fortunate to work with a lot of people who’ve been here for 10-20 years,” Brook said. “We’re known for our old-fashioned, homemade, yummy desserts like your grandma used to make, but better.” The bakery is known for o ering baked good classics made in small batches with quality ingredients. Desserts o ered include cakes, cookies, brown- ies, pies, cake pops and cupcakes. Some customer favorites include the tres leches cake, lemon blueberry cake and hand-dipped chocolate chunk cookies known as “the cookies that started it all,” she said. “I’ve just aspired to have the dessert that’s special to someone because they always get this ... particular dessert for their birthday or for their family’s special celebration,” Brook said. As a Houston staple, Brook said Dessert Gallery aims to give back to the community through charitable donations, being responsive to commu- nity needs and raising money for causes. A few organizations Dessert Gallery has contributed to include Gracie’s Corner Foundation, Heart Gallery and Second Servings of Houston.
The bakery o ers cupcake avors including French vanilla, red velvet, strawberry and chocolate.
The shop can be found in Upper Kirby, but a second location in The Woodlands opened in 2024.
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3600 Kirby Drive, Ste. D, Houston www.dessertgallery.com
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HEIGHTS RIVER OAKS MONTROSE EDITION
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