SugarJam The Southern Kitchen Celebrates 3rd Anniversary
By Claire Natale -
Friday Jan 26, 2024
SugarJam The Southern Kitchen, a beloved Southern brunch restaurant and bakery in North Scottsdale, is celebrating three years of hand-crafted Southern cuisine and baked goods during its can’t miss anniversary celebration on Sunday, Jan. 28.
The restaurant’s official anniversary is Monday, Jan. 29, but will be celebrated during the restaurant’s Sunday brunch on Jan. 28. To make this year extra special, SugarJam will transform its Sunday brunch into Lobster Sunday. It will feature its fried lobster mac n’ cheese and its lobster creole shrimp n’ grits with crab.
Dana Dumas, an African American woman, CEO and head chef of the SugarJam brands, opened SugarJam The Southern Kitchen on Jan. 29, 2021. SugarJam is known for its unique southern cuisine that features traditional favorites including the French Toast and Fried Chicken breakfast dish, as well as the Creole Shrimp N’ Grits. Restaurant-goers can also pick up a sweet treat from the SugarJam bakeshop, which ranges from pies to beignets.
In the spring of 2021, Dumas began the Brunch N’ Vibes weekend experience that now runs every Friday through Sunday and features a resident DJ. During the summer of 2022, SugarJam also expanded with the opening of The Market by SugarJam, a quaint gift shop that features finds from national and local small businesses. In 2023, SugarJam opened its all-new catering division for those looking to host anything from an office party to an at-home celebration.
The SugarJam brand was initially launched in Dec. 2011 by Dumas and was initially known as SugarJam Cookies, LLC. As an at-home baker, she was involved in many farmer’s markets and street fairs where she sold her signature jam filled sugar cookies sandwiches.
As the demand for her baked goods grew, Dumas opened a brick n’ mortar a mile and a half away from her current location in Scottsdale Airpark on Redfield Road in Sept. of 2014. The bakeshop and bistro featured light breakfast, lunch, and baked goods. She also started catering and created a SugarJam Bakeshop Trailer that helped her emerge into the food truck scene. After launching weekend brunch, Dumas knew she needed a bigger space which led to SugarJam The Southern Kitchen.
