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As a California native, SusieCakes came into my life early on. When the first San Francisco location opened in 2010 next door to my family’s favorite sushi restaurant, our nightly agenda shifted. Sushi was the warm-up; the main event was beating SusieCakes’ closing time. Reservations were bumped earlier. The brisk walk around the neighborhood turned into speed walks. Priorities were clear. 

Then in 2019, SusieCakes opened their second location around the corner from my house. My family was thrilled, followed immediately by fear of its proximity. At the opening, my dad and I sent my mom in with one mission: ask Susie to bring back the Banana Chip Cake, our all-time favorite. No luck. “Not popular enough.” We were devastated. But we adjusted. 

In 2022, I left for college in Nashville, then a complete SusieCakes desert. My freshman-year birthday felt off, and I knew exactly why. Then, spring of sophomore year, one month and fifteen days before my birthday, SusieCakes opened in Nashville. When I saw the email, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel. 

I immediately texted my friends: “SUSIE’S IN NASHVILLE!!!!” They were from the East Coast and Midwest and responded, “Who?” But by senior year, with eight girls living under one roof, they understood. 

SusieCakes became the default for everything: birthdays, job offers, grad school acceptances, breakups, just-because sweet treats, and everything in between. Within minutes, an order was placed, and the group chat became a full logistics operation figuring out who could pick up between classes, who would distract the person being celebrated, and who could sneak the box into the house. 

While SusieCakes had officially infiltrated my Nashville life, I never forgot my roots. When Banana Chip came back as a seasonal flavor this year, during my dad’s birth month no less, he was obviously the first person I texted. 

I graduated this past month and am moving to New York City in the fall, a hopefully temporary SusieCakes desert, but at least there’s nationwide shipping. Nevertheless, I will always be grateful that SusieCakes became such a big part of what made Nashville feel like home too. 

Martha C., (San Francisco, Nashville & New York City)