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Sweet Thang is the brainchild of Pasty Chef/Owner Bernard Runo. "It's a composite of my life experiences, both culinary and cultural. First, because it is in Wicker Park. This is my neighborhood, this is where I'm from." Runo, who hails from a Filipino "cooking family" still lives in the house across the street from the hospital where he was born just one mile south of the shop. "My aunt and uncle used to sell empanadas from their house. The weekends would bustle with activity from all the Filipino nurses who'd come over from the hospital." To the dismay of his parents, Runo decided not to follow in their footsteps and pursue a career in law or medicine but instead at the age of 19, headed to Europe to study cuisine and pastry. He got a lot more than he bargained for: "It's not just about the food, but the culture as well." Already speaking Spanish and some Tagalog, he also mastered French, German and Dutch in the four years that he lived overseas. He spent a year mastering French at the Université de Paris, La Sorbonne and received high marks and a Certificat de Langue Française. After acquiring proficiency in French, he took the next step towards his dream and enrolled in the culinary program of the École de la Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie de Paris, Centre Technologique Jean Ferrandi where he received diplomas in Cuisine Classique and Pâtissier, Glacier, Chocolatier, and Confiseur. Runo traveled extensively during these years and lived briefly in Holland and Belgium as well before deciding to return to the States. He then spent ten years working in some of the major hotels downtown: the Ritz-Carlton, Fairmont Hotel, Hotel Intercontinental and as the last Executive Pastry Chef of the Swissôtel before the chain opted to downsize and outsource their baked goods. "I was heartbroken, it was like someone pulled the floor out from under my feet." But this was probably the major catalyst in what prompted Runo to open his own venture just two years later. For a shop that has been around just under five years, Sweet Thang has already become an integral part of a neighborhood known for its eclectic restaurants and cafés. In a phrase that could have been pulled from a mid-century manifesto, Runo defines Sweet Thang's mission as "bringing pastry to the masses," and with an artist's magnanimous confidence, he adds, "This is my gift to Wicker Park."
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