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Rayette Musquez has solid foodie credentials. Besides working at Mission Burger for ten years before it became JJ’s Burgers and at Casa De Fruta’s candy shop, Casa de Sweets, she has been catering for the last 10 years, specializing in desserts. So the only question might be why it took her so long to open her own place, Sweets-N-Treats in San Juan Bautista.
“I’ve always wanted a shop here in San Juan,” Musquez said. “I first wanted a restaurant, but when I saw Sweet Cheeks Candy Company vacant, I saw the opportunity to open up a candy shop. It was kind of something familiar.”
With the previous store closed for over a year and a half, Musquez had to get the space back into shape for her opening two years ago.
“It was basically a smooth transition,” she said. “I was able to just swoop right in. I would come here at least twice a week, getting on my hands and knees and cleaning and scrubbing. But there was a lot of candy to get rid of. A lot of candy.”
While keeping the core concept of the old shop—penny candies from around the world—Musquez has made the shop her own by adding Gizdich Ranch pies, a Slurpee machine, and, more importantly, a range of homemade cookies, mini-bundt cakes and other confections.
“When I first opened,” she said, “I thought of the townspeople. I wanted a place where people could come and get a treat for a few bucks. But I enjoy being creative and wanted to make things that follow the trends of what kids like.”
Chocolate covered strawberries and pretzels. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Mini Bundt Cakes and chocolate covered pretzels. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Rayette Musquez and some sweet treats. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Chocolate covered Rice Krispie Treats, marshmallows and pretzels. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Strawberry and banana crepe. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Chocolate covered strawberries and marshmallows. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Chocolate covered Rice Krispie Treats and marshmallows. Photo by Robert Eliason. 
Dubai Chocolate Cup. Photo by Robert Eliason.
Musquez has been rotating many of the confections she made for her party catering business through her shop, including a plethora of items dipped in high-quality Ghirardelli or Merckens chocolate, like Rice Krispies Treats, pretzels marshmallows, mini-bundt cakes, Oreos, and huge strawberries she sources from a grower in Watsonville.
“They are very, very fresh,” she said. “I tell him when I need them and he picks me the biggest ones he has and delivers them that day.”
Musquez also makes cookies: oatmeal raisin, oatmeal chocolate chip, regular chocolate chip, peanut butter, sugar, and red velvet.
The strawberries are also featured in a new creation, which Musquez will be preparing for the San Juan Arts and Crafts Festival (March 29-30): The Dubai Chocolate Cup, based on the popular Dubai Chocolate Bar.
“You take knafeh flakes and brown them in butter,” she said. “You add pistachio butter and mix it together to make cream. You layer a cup with chocolate, cream, pistachio butter and more chocolate. Then, you just top it with some chopped-up pistachios.”
For the festival, Musquez will also be offering her spin on Chamoy fruit cups, which will feature watermelon, pineapple, mango, cucumber, jicama, and strawberries dusted with Chamoy and Tajín and then topped with mango sorbet and Chamoy candies.
Musquez will also offer one of her more popular creations, the Watermelon Pop, a watermelon wedge on a popsicle stick wrapped in a fruit rollup, dipped in chamoy, and sprinkled with Tajín, and Tanghulu, which is grapes, mandarin oranges or strawberries dipped in high-temperature sugar.
Special occasion offerings, like hot dogs, chili cheese nachos, and strawberry and banana crepes with Nutella will also be available that weekend.
Musquez said that the response from the community has been supportive since she opened.
“Many people who live in town come by regularly,” she said. “They know I have the pies for their holidays, or they come to get gift cards. I am also on good terms with many other shop owners in town, and I see them come in a lot.”
Unfortunately, the legal problems that touched the lives of Sweet Cheeks’ owners (which may have led to the shuttering of the shop) have created indirect problems for Musquez. She said some locals have confused her shop with the earlier one.
“There’s so much gossip,” she said. “Someone said the FBI is watching us. It was really funny to hear that because I have no affiliation with those people. I guess rumors are hard to stop.”
Undeterred, Musquez is mapping out a few new things she is excited about.
“Originally,” she said. “I intended for the shop to be a fro-yo and crepes place. Getting those up and running has been difficult, but I hope to make them daily offerings. And I want to keep offering new things that are affordable and fun.”
Sweets-N-Treats
401 3rd Street, San Juan Bautista
(831) 537-4441
Hours:
Tuesday-Thursday 12–5 p.m.
Friday-Saturday 12–7 p.m.
Closed Monday
Sweets-N-Treats is on Instagram and Facebook
Recommendations for future Eat, Drink, Savor articles can be emailed to roberteliason@benitolink.com.
BenitoLink thanks our underwriters, Hollister Super and Windmill Market, for helping to expand the Eat, Drink, Savor series and give our readers the stories that interest them. Hollister Super (two stores in Hollister) and Windmill Market (in San Juan Bautista) support reporting on the inspired and creative people behind the many delicious food and drink products made in San Benito County. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
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