I’ve lived in Los Angeles long enough to have witnessed the scene unfold many times over. The big pale yellow box with the white-and-green band down the middle makes its first appearance. Party guests might emit gentle “oohs” and mimic dainty hand claps in anticipation. After half an hour, when the contents of the box have softened, it’s time to serve the Triple Berry Cake from Sweet Lady Jane.
For three decades and counting, Jane Lockhart’s bakery has subverted clichés about Angelenos’ dessert aversion and her Triple Berry Cake has quietly become a classic. Lockhart opened her bakery on Melrose in Beverly Grove on May 5, 1988, after building a reputation for the homemade cakes she’d sell to a handful of wholesale clients. In 30 years, little has changed at Sweet Lady Jane. The illuminated stained-glass ceiling panels, wood bistro chairs, earthy color, and always-packed cases are still intact (although now you’ll find La Colombe coffees on tap). The business has grown to include Santa Monica and Encino outposts, and Lockhart recently took over the lease on the space next door to the bakery’s first home.
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