# Candace Nelson
**Candace Nelson** (born 1974 in Indonesia) is an Indonesian-born American pastry chef, entrepreneur, and television personality best known as the co-founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes, described by her own company and press coverage as the world's first cupcake bakery, and as a judge on [Food Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/food-network)'s "Cupcake Wars" and Netflix's "Sugar Rush".
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974, Indonesia[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3628556) |
| Signature business | Sprinkles Cupcakes, opened in Beverly Hills in 2005 with her husband Charles; marketed as the world's first cupcake bakery[2](https://candace-nelson.com/sprinkles-2/) |
| Innovation | The world's first Cupcake ATM, launched by Sprinkles in 2012[2](https://candace-nelson.com/sprinkles-2/) |
| Sale | In 2012, after nearly a decade of building the company, Nelson and her husband sold a majority stake to a private equity firm[3](https://www.inc.com/magazine/202403/candace-nelson/how-the-cupcake-queen-broke-free-of-her-brand.html) |
| Television | Judge on more than 100 episodes of "Cupcake Wars"; executive producer and judge on Netflix's "Sugar Rush"; co-creator and executive producer of Hulu's "Best in Dough"; guest Shark on "Shark Tank" season 15[4](https://candace-nelson.com/about-candace/) • [5](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/candace-nelson/umc.cpc.dcfur6aj5oyjdb4ebbet3wk1) |
| Books | "The Sprinkles Baking Book" (New York Times best seller) and "Sweet Success: A Simple Recipe to Turn Your Passion into Profit" (HarperCollins Leadership, November 2022)[4](https://candace-nelson.com/about-candace/) |
| Later ventures | Co-founder of Pizzana, a chain of Neo-Neapolitan pizzerias; founder of CN2 Ventures, a family office and venture studio investing in early-stage consumer companies[4](https://candace-nelson.com/about-candace/) |
## Early life and career change
Nelson planned to follow her father into a stable corporate career. After graduating from [Wesleyan University](https://www.edgepedia.org/wesleyan-university) she worked first as an investment banker and then at a tech startup, and lost that job in the dot-com bust.[6](https://www.nrn.com/casual-dining/how-candace-nelson-achieved-sweet-success) • [2](https://candace-nelson.com/sprinkles-2/) Rather than return to business school, she enrolled in pastry school, graduating in 2002 from the professional pastry program at Tante Marie's Cooking School in San Francisco.[2](https://candace-nelson.com/sprinkles-2/) • [7](https://nielsenmassey.com/candace-nelson/)
She began by selling special occasion cakes out of her San Francisco apartment.[2](https://candace-nelson.com/sprinkles-2/) In 2003 she moved to Los Angeles and shifted to an elevated, gourmet take on the cupcake. Her account of the period describes word-of-mouth demand building until orders poured in from sources she could no longer trace; she treated this organic demand, which investors would call product-market fit, as validation before committing to a retail space.[8](https://fortune.com/2023/01/05/sprinkles-cupcakes-founder-candace-nelson/)
## Sprinkles Cupcakes
Nelson and her husband Charles opened the first [Sprinkles](https://www.edgepedia.org/sprinkles) bakery in Beverly Hills in 2005. The concept was a calculated risk: low-carb dieting was at its peak popularity and single-item restaurant concepts were then unheard of, but a line formed outside the door on the first day and a years-long national cupcake craze followed.[6](https://www.nrn.com/casual-dining/how-candace-nelson-achieved-sweet-success) The Los Angeles Times called Sprinkles "the progenitor of the haute cupcake craze," and [Oprah Winfrey](https://www.edgepedia.org/oprah-winfrey) named it one of her favorites.[2](https://candace-nelson.com/sprinkles-2/)
In 2012 the company debuted the world's first Cupcake ATM, a vending machine dispensing cupcakes, and launched Sprinkles Ice Cream.[9](https://na.eventscloud.com/file_uploads/3ca8389f7e27742dcf0f260465d4b417_BIOnelson_candace.pdf) • [2](https://candace-nelson.com/sprinkles-2/) By Nelson's own account the chain grew to 40 locations nationwide and sold more than 75 million cupcakes.[2](https://candace-nelson.com/sprinkles-2/) Also in 2012, the Nelsons sold a majority stake in the company to a private equity firm.[3](https://www.inc.com/magazine/202403/candace-nelson/how-the-cupcake-queen-broke-free-of-her-brand.html) Nelson has said she had no ownership or operational involvement in Sprinkles afterward; in January 2026 she wrote that the company, then 20 years old, had closed its doors and that employees had been let go without notice or severance.[10](https://news.candace-nelson.com/p/the-news-i-never-expected-to-hear)
## Television and writing
Nelson's public profile came largely through baking competition television. She served as a judge on Food Network's "Cupcake Wars," which filmed ten seasons, appearing on more than 100 episodes.[4](https://candace-nelson.com/about-candace/) • [11](https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/contributor/candace-nelson/) She was an executive producer and judge on Netflix's "Sugar Rush" and co-creator and executive producer of Hulu's "Best in Dough."[4](https://candace-nelson.com/about-candace/) In 2024 she returned to investing on screen as a guest Shark in two episodes of "Shark Tank" season 15, including the season finale.[5](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/candace-nelson/umc.cpc.dcfur6aj5oyjdb4ebbet3wk1)
Her cookbook *The Sprinkles Baking Book* became a New York Times best seller; it includes Sprinkles cupcake recipes alongside desserts contributed by friends including [Reese Witherspoon](https://www.edgepedia.org/reese-witherspoon), Julia Roberts, Michael Strahan, and [Jessica Alba](https://www.edgepedia.org/jessica-alba).[4](https://candace-nelson.com/about-candace/) • [2](https://candace-nelson.com/sprinkles-2/) Her business book *Sweet Success: A Simple Recipe to Turn Your Passion into Profit*, published by HarperCollins Leadership in November 2022, draws on lessons from building Sprinkles; she has also described it as a Wall Street Journal best seller.[4](https://candace-nelson.com/about-candace/) • [12](https://candace-nelson.com/) She writes regularly for the Wall Street Journal on small-business topics.[4](https://candace-nelson.com/about-candace/) • [3](https://www.inc.com/magazine/202403/candace-nelson/how-the-cupcake-queen-broke-free-of-her-brand.html)
## Pizzana, CN2 Ventures, and later work
After selling Sprinkles, Nelson and her husband co-founded Pizzana, a chain of Neo-Neapolitan pizzerias in the Los Angeles area.[6](https://www.nrn.com/casual-dining/how-candace-nelson-achieved-sweet-success) • [4](https://candace-nelson.com/about-candace/) Through CN2 Ventures, a family office and venture studio, she invests in early-stage consumer companies, with a stated focus on female-founded businesses.[4](https://candace-nelson.com/about-candace/) • [13](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/candacenelson9_it-may-be-time-for-a-re-introduction-activity-7407097528636104704-2s6K) She is also a public speaker for corporate and campus audiences, including [Taco Bell](https://www.edgepedia.org/taco-bell), Goldman Sachs, Northern Trust, USC, and UT.[12](https://candace-nelson.com/)
Her advice to aspiring founders, as summarized in a Los Angeles Times profile, is to verify market need and stress-test the product, be financially prepared to bootstrap or seek support, and build a network of mentors, friends, and family.[14](https://www.latimes.com/b2b/innovators-unplugged/story/2024-09-26/b2b-innovators-plugged-story-2024-09-26-candace-nelson)
## Personal life
Nelson lives in Los Angeles with her husband Charles, their two sons, and a Norwich terrier named Willy.[4](https://candace-nelson.com/about-candace/) Her husband, born in 1969 and a native of Oklahoma, worked alongside her as an investment banker before they entered the bakery business.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3628556) She credits her mother, with whom she baked as a child, with planting the idea of owning a bakery.[7](https://nielsenmassey.com/candace-nelson/)
## References
1. [Candace Nelson, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3628556)
2. [Sprinkles, Candace Nelson official site](https://candace-nelson.com/sprinkles-2/)
3. [How the Cupcake Queen Broke Free of Her Brand, Inc. (March 2024)](https://www.inc.com/magazine/202403/candace-nelson/how-the-cupcake-queen-broke-free-of-her-brand.html)
4. [About Candace, Candace Nelson official site](https://candace-nelson.com/about-candace/)
5. [Candace Nelson Movies and Shows, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/person/candace-nelson/umc.cpc.dcfur6aj5oyjdb4ebbet3wk1)
6. [How Candace Nelson achieved sweet success, Nation's Restaurant News (October 2024)](https://www.nrn.com/casual-dining/how-candace-nelson-achieved-sweet-success)
7. [Candace Nelson, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas (2011)](https://nielsenmassey.com/candace-nelson/)
8. [Sprinkles founder Candace Nelson on how to find product-market fit, Fortune (January 2023)](https://fortune.com/2023/01/05/sprinkles-cupcakes-founder-candace-nelson/)
9. [Candace Nelson speaker biography PDF](https://na.eventscloud.com/file_uploads/3ca8389f7e27742dcf0f260465d4b417_BIOnelson_candace.pdf)
10. [The News I Never Expected to Hear, Sweet Success newsletter (January 2026)](https://news.candace-nelson.com/p/the-news-i-never-expected-to-hear)
11. [Candace Nelson, Hachette Book Group](https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/contributor/candace-nelson/)
12. [Home, Candace Nelson official site](https://candace-nelson.com/)
13. [Candace Nelson on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/candacenelson9_it-may-be-time-for-a-re-introduction-activity-7407097528636104704-2s6K)
14. [Candace Nelson's Entrepreneurial Journey from Cupcake Queen to Venture Visionary, Los Angeles Times (September 2024)](https://www.latimes.com/b2b/innovators-unplugged/story/2024-09-26/b2b-innovators-plugged-story-2024-09-26-candace-nelson)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Food, cooking and hospitality › Restaurants, chefs, and culinary practice › Chefs, culinary professions, and hospitality › Television and celebrity chefs › American television chefs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license