Hooker's Sweet Treats

There’s something to be said about living in the upper Tenderloin, an area that sometimes reminds me that I might be living, well, anywhere else other than San Francisco. Not all bad, mind you, but urban grit and diversity at its best. Of course, when I heard about a new place around the corner from my building named “Hooker’s Sweet Treats” (hookerssweettreats.com), I had no idea what to expect when I walked through the door. All I knew, with some certainty, is that I’d be giving my money to someone and in return would be receiving something sweet and satisfying. Go figure.

Turns out this charming neighborhood coffee and sweet shop is the brainchild of creative entrepreneur David “Hooker” Williams. Williams is a good ol’ Southern boy from a small town in Louisiana called Bayou Vista. Both his mother and grandmother loved to cook, in true Southern tradition, particularly when it came to making desserts. And while he loved to cook, opening his own place took a bit more time after moving to San Francisco in 1990.

After attending school for web design, Williams landed various creative positions throughout the 1990s and 2000s doing print production at Restoration Hardware and creative production management at Design Within Reach, before being lured away as a senior creative manager at Red Envelope.

Unfortunately, the company went bankrupt in 2008.

“Since the economy was in the dumps, I was trying to figure out what to do that summer,” he says. “Being from the South, I love sweets, especially the salted caramels I’d had during the holiday season from Trader Joe’s,” he says. With lots of time on his hands, he did some research online and figured out how make the caramels using all natural ingredients.

He debuted his first sweets - sea-salted dark chocolate caramels -- at the grand opening of a local art and antique store, The Perish Trust. They were a big hit. “Everyone kept asking me if they were for sale throughout the evening,” he says. “I finally realized I should sell them and make some money.”

Networking also came in handy, especially after meeting the owners of Sightglass Coffee in SOMA, who not only sold his caramels, but also provided the coffee beans Williams used after he opened his own place in 2010. “It’s a nice relationship,” he says. “I decided in 2010 to look for a space in the Tenderloin as the neighborhood is on the verge of being the place to be.” Williams adds he appreciates the areas rough edges as it reminds him of New Orleans or the Lower East Side in Manhattan.

The former café was a bit of a mess, and in need of some major refurbishment. Yellow and red terra cotta walls gave way to, as Williams calls it, “Creole meets a little bit of the Old West.” Stepping into the space reminds one of entering some of the old buildings in the French Quarter, with blue-grey walls, antique fixtures from Kevin Randolph, and a wonderful feeling your at home. Gorgeous 1960s wallpaper Williams found in his basement adorns the walls, and antique jars from the Alemany Flea market are arranged throughout the space, including on the wooden communal table that dominates the space. “The best part about this place is that it’s a great meeting place for folks, neighbors who haven’t spoken before, which is probably why I didn’t put in Wi-Fi, so that people have the chance to chat with one another,” Williams adds.

Typically, I’m the first to arrive on a Saturday or Sunday morning, or sometimes both days, finding a prime spot around the communal table. Usually, in need of a pick-me-up and a nosh, I’ll order a robust Americano ($2.50) or a small French press ($2.50) and a sweet cheddar biscuit ($2.50 each) followed by a luscious, melt-in-your mouth sea-salted caramel ($2 for 1/$7 for 3 pieces/$20 for 10 pieces). Lately, I’ve also been lusting after a Hooker’s special known as the “third nut,” a sinful concoction of caramels, cashews, almonds, and pecans, sitting on a salted 72% dark chocolate base.

If sugar overload isn’t a concern, take a walk on the wild side with the daily bread pudding special, sometimes drenched in a bourbon caramel sauce ($5), a peanut butter chocolate chip cookie ($3), or a praline cookie.

Fans from around the world clamor to get a piece of Hooker’s Sweet Treats, including electronic music duo The Crystal Method and popular Food Network personality Giada de Laurentis, who ordered boxes of caramels for her friends. Special orders and catering for weddings are available, including custom-made labels on each box. Williams mentions online ordering is available in the winter and late fall or the upcoming holiday season. “It’s our busiest time of year, and we’re hoping to have another chocolate product out for the holidays.”

After all, you can never have too much of a good thing, especially at Hooker’s Sweet Treats.

Hooker's Sweet Treats are available at Big Bottom Market, Bi-Rite Market, pot & pantry, Rare Device, Sightglass Coffee, Trouble Cafe, and of course at Hooker's Sweet Treats cafe!

Hookers Sweet Treats: 442 Hyde St., San Francisco, CA 94109
Monday closed, Tuesday-Friday 8am-4pm, Saturday & Sunday 10am-2pm.