Exploring Life & Business with Candace Terrafranca of Sweets by Cardinali

Today we’d like to introduce you to Candace Terrafranca.

Hi Candace, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to run my own business and for a while, I had success in the fashion industry with my own store called Candace Paige and Wardrobe Styling for TV production. During the weekends I would help my parents with their food business in the fair industry and it was there I found my passion for dessert, specifically ice cream!

Never did I imagine I would soon create a new career out of it. The perfect opportunity presented itself to buy my own ice cream business, which is now known as Sweets by Cardinali. We have our commercial-size trailer for all the large west coast fairs and events, in addition to our mini cart and a pop-up stand for smaller events and weddings.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
My husband and I decided to buy the ice cream business at the end of COVID after a whole year of events and the world being shut down. I had no idea if people would even feel comfortable attending large events again, would I be able to hire any employees? Would any of the events return at all?

Arizona State Fair was one of the first fairs to reopen after COVID. Luckily, it was a huge success! I believe there will always be struggles with owning a business, any business owner can tell you that. But it’s just a way to grow and evolve.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Sweets by Cardinali?
Sweets by Cardinali is an ice cream concession business that serves all the large events and fairs. Our trailer is one of the big food concessions you see at your county or state fair. We are known for our Sundaes, Milkshakes, Soft Serve Ice cream, and Scooped ice cream. Recently, I have been shown on Carnival Eats TV Show for our famous Cotton Candy Sundae Cone. In this industry, we are usually open for a month.

We set up, serve thousands of people for the month, pack up and move on to our next fair. I get to meet a lot of interesting people along the way and I still have many returning customers at each event. I always say ice cream is a happy food and I love making people happy!

How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
I am out of Orange County, CA but you can currently come to support my business at Los Angeles County Fair, Orange County Fair, Arizona State Fair, or Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction.

We are going to continuously grow and expand all over So-Cal and Arizona so you never know where we might pop up next! My social media is the best place to get in contact with me @sweetsbycardinali.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @Sweetsbycardinali
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sweetsbycardinali/