Daily Inspiration: Meet Rhiannon Chandler Dillon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhiannon Chandler Dillon.

Hi Rhiannon, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
My first baking memory is with my mamaw, Minnie Mae in the kitchen standing on a chair cutting out biscuits at the age of three. Growing up, in the mountains of Western North Carolina in an Italian and Southern family cooking, baking, canning, and farming was the way of life. We were always in the kitchen together, everything seemed to revolve around food.

My grandpa was an old-school Italian Baker, he and my grandma owned several bakeries and a restaurant, before my time. I loved cooking and baking with them at home and learning their recipes. I would follow my grandpa around with a note pad writing down every detail, he’d add a scoop of this and a pinch of that and I would say “wait wait, I have to convert that to cups or pounds,” it would drive him nuts, but as you know baking is a science.

So you can truly say, it is in my blood!

I graduated from Culinary school in 2003 and headed out West for 12 years to perfect my craft. Sweet Rhi Cakes and Desserts was established in 2011 in Telluride, Colorado. In 2014, I moved back to my Southern roots to Charleston to be closer to my family and to continue growing my business. In 2019, my husband and I opened Sweet Rhi Cakes and Dessert Studio on James Island, it has been a dream come true!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Growing up in a humble upbringing, dreams often seemed out of reach. However, having encouragement and family that believed in me, helped push me to follow my dreams to want more in life.

Even though I feel it’s in my blood, the culinary world isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s long hours, on your feet all day, working holidays and weekends when everyone else is off. It’s not a glamourous job by any means, it’s a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. But, I am thankful for the journey that has to lead me to where I am today.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do and what are you most proud of?
Sweet Rhi offers wedding cakes, specialty cakes, desserts, pastries, Holiday desserts, baking classes, and more! Each order is hand-crafted using high-quality ingredients. We pride ourselves on providing the best product, using local and seasonal offerings whenever possible. We are passionate about what we do and love being a part of your special event to make all your cake and dessert dreams come true!

I am proud of my God-given talent to create beautiful edible pieces of art for others to enjoy. I feel truly blessed to get to do what I love for a living every day. Love is ALWAYS the secret ingredient, when you love what you do, it shows in your work and sets you apart.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Hard work does pay off! YOU are the only one who can make your dreams come true. If you want it, see it, manifest it, envision it, work hard for it, push yourself to achieve it, whatever IT is, you can do it if you truly want it.

Contact Info:

• Email: rhi@sweetrhi.com
• Website: www.sweetrhi.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetrhi_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetrhi

Image Credits
Richard Bell Photography, Ava Moore Photography, Wild Cotton Photography, Candi Leonard Photography, and Jesseca Bellemare Photography