Nation’s Restaurant News is excited to announce that entrepreneur Candace Nelson, who first rose to prominence as founder of Sprinkles Cupcakes, will keynote this year’s CREATE: The Event for Emerging Restaurateurs, which is this Oct. 9-11 in Nashville.
Nelson will join NRN editor-in-chief Sam Oches for a conversation about her journey as an entrepreneur, from leaving her career in finance to start Sprinkles to selling that business and founding another restaurant chain: 2023 NRN Hot Concept winner Pizzana.
“Candace is a dynamic leader who has started not one but two exciting restaurant companies, while also becoming a successful author and media personality,” Oches said. “CREATE is an event for restaurant entrepreneurs who are hoping to become the next Candace Nelson. That makes her the perfect keynoter for this year’s event.”
Sprinkles, which Nelson launched in 2005 in Los Angeles with her husband, Charles, earned recognition early on as a favorite of celebrities and helped jumpstart the cupcake craze of the aughts. It eventually scaled to dozens of locations, including the innovative Sprinkles ATM vending machines, before the Nelsons sold to private equity group KarpReilly in 2013.
The Nelsons later launched Pizzana, a Neapolitan pizzeria concept, in 2017, and have grown it to seven locations in California and Texas.
Nelson appeared as a judge on the Foot Network show “Cupcake Wars,” as well as on the Netflix hit “Sugar Rush.” She also appeared on “Shark Tank” in 2023 as a guest shark. Nelson is also author of two books: The Sprinkles Baking Book and Sweet Success.
“Our aim with CREATE is to provide emerging restaurant leaders with education and inspiration to take home to their businesses,” Oches said. “I have no doubt attendees will be inspired by Candace’s story, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”
Nelson’s keynote conversation is Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. on the CREATE main stage.
CREATE: The Event for Emerging Restaurateurs is free to any restaurant company leaders and is tailored to small and mid-sized chains with aspirations for growth. This year’s CREATE is Oct. 9-11 at the Omni in downtown Nashville. Register for CREATE by clicking here.
