March 2008 - Human Interest
Mother’s illness
inspired her to
seek alternatives
By Constance Garcia-Barrio
The doctor’s words threaten a whole realm of pleasure: “No more sugar.”
“That’s where I come in,” said Doreen Mason, owner of Sweetsie’s Sugar-free Sweets. “I make homemade desserts.
“I used to bake for my friends and family, including my mother,” said Mason, who recently retired from her position as Department of Public Welfare office manager after 26 years. “Baking was a stress reliever for me. I’d come home from my job at DPW and head for the kitchen. Sometimes I’d be there until 3 or 4 in the morning.”
But, when her mother was diagnosed with diabetes in 1996, Mason says, “she couldn’t eat my cakes and cobblers any longer.” So, Mason began researching and using alternative sweeteners.
Mason monitors her mother’s blood glucose to be sure the desserts don’t affect it. “Mom lives three blocks away,” Mason said of her mother, who’s almost 80. “I go to her house in the morning to help her get ready for her day at the Anello Adult Day Health Center, near 23rd and Westmoreland Sts. We check her blood sugar in the morning, and they do it again at the center.”
Speaks at senior centers
Mason considers other possible dietary restrictions in choosing ingredients. “I use only unsalted butter and low-fat cream cheese in my desserts,” she said. Always mindful of healthy eating, she became even more so, as a survivor of breast cancer.
By the time Mason retired, she had developed a full line of desserts. “I make cakes, sweet potato pie, rice pudding, bread pudding and more,” she says. “You can do a little business when you’re working — office parties, weddings and funerals — but I jumped in full-time after retirement.”
Since retiring, she has given presentations about sugar-free desserts at North Broad Street Senior Center, Haddington Multi-Services for Older Adults Inc., Center in the Park and other sites. “When I do a presentation,” she says, “I take fact sheets about sweeteners, and tell people about sources they can check. I also bring desserts to sample. Tasting is believing.”
Prices kept reasonable
“I set prices and services with Mom in mind,” Mason said. “She’s on a fixed income, and many other seniors are, too, so I keep my prices reasonable. For example, a carrot cake costs $13.50. A sweet potato pie is $10. Since many seniors depend on paratransit to get around, I offer delivery.”
Mason is planning a quarterly newsletter featuring a different sweetener in each edition.
“I’m studying Spanish so that I can do presentations for Hispanic groups,” Mason said. “I’ll also have more desserts for children. I can decorate a cake with Spider-Man and other popular characters.”
Sweetsie’s Sugar-free Sweets may be contacted at 267-231-9865.
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