Nadia Hubbi’s Chocolate Covered Empire

Nadia Hubbi, 27, started Sweet Pillar & Co., her company in 2009. Based out of Beverly Hills, California, Nadia blends tradition with her love for chocolate. She started her company with the hope that she show the mainstream American market the decadent desserts from the Middle Eastern region as well as a way to provide sweets for her own community. One thing is for sure, after trying Nadia’s Bon Dates, its diplomacy at its best.

Where did you get the concept for chocolate covered dates?

I wanted to bring together traditional desserts from my childhood that I learned about from my grandmother, my mother’s baking and also desserts that I grew up with here in the US. Some products at Sweet Pillar and Co. incorporate desserts even my great grandmother used to make. Fusing traditional desserts along with my palate that I’ve acquired being raised in the US helped formulate the idea for the Bon Date. It’s the perfect fusion of East meets West.

Why did you decide to start this company?

For a combination of reasons but mainly to bring quality Middle Eastern desserts to the American mainstream market. The public hears so much about us but they still don’t KNOW about us. What a great way to learn about a culture than through food and I felt it was time for non Middle Easterners to learn more about us. It also became too much of a hassle to wait for a family member to visit from Syria to bring with them my grandmothers desserts wrapped and packed in a suitcase because I couldn’t find such items here.

You mention your Taytay (Grandmother) taught you how to pick dates. What’s one piece of advice you can give us about picking good dates?

Medjool dates are considered the King of Dates so for the most part they are all really good. My taytay taught me how to differentiate between the good and the better but nowadays they make it easy because they actually come pre-labeled. There are 5 different grades of Medjool dates; Jumbo (only 5% of the entire crop make it), Large, Fancy, Blemished and Cooking. Jumbo is soft but not too soft, no blemishes so they look good also. They are the king of the king of dates. Also a little tip she gave me was to keep the dates stored next to bananas. Some believe the dates actually taste better when stored that way.

Where can one find Sweet Pillar dates?

Boutique shops in Southern California, and through custom order via our website at www.sweetpillar.com. Some things are in the works and we are expected to be in retail shops nationally in 2011.

What is your long-term plan with your company? What do you hope to achieve?

I hope to continue to build awareness, educate the public about who we are as a community, and continue to create quality desserts that will remind Middle Easterners of home and provide non- Middle Easterners an experience of that region with each bite. We are also starting to work with some non-profit organizations that help troubled children use art as a form of healing. We want to use their artwork on some of our packaging to: 1) promote Middle Eastern art and 2) to help the kids heal as they do it.

What does your family think about your company?

I pretty much force them to “taste test” Bon Dates and Mamool cookies all day; breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I think, overall, they’re happy campers.

I bet Aunties and Uncles love your chocolate covered dates. What’s the cutest compliment you’ve received so far?

We constantly get emails and everyone always says such nice things its hard to pick one but I do remember one Uncle saying to me in person while his wife was next to him; “These dates are amazing but taking my wife on a date is still the greatest thing…Sweet Pillar is a very close second!” They were the cutest couple.

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