LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — The holiday rush is in full swing at Sugar and Spice, where peanut butter chocolate balls are taking over the kitchen. But the Henderson shop is mixing in something else along with the chocolate: a chance.
Eighteen-year-old Noah Chambers is one of the shop’s employees, carefully dipping treats into chocolate and learning the business from the ground up.
“It’s given me a new sense of confidence,” Chambers said.
Chambers said he’s dreamed of working in food for a long time.
“For a long time I wanted to be a pastry chef. But I’m not sure where that would take me until I go to college, so for a first-time job, this is the ideal experience,” he said.
That experience is exactly what owner Sheri Long set out to create — not just for Chambers, but for anyone who’s struggled to get a foot in the door.
“With disability awareness month right now, it sheds a light that there is an entire population out there that wants to work and can show they can do the same things as anybody else,” Long said.
Long said the only requirement is a willingness to learn. And at Sugar and Spice, that means hands-on experience that goes well beyond the kitchen.
“When they are in the Sugar and Spice kitchen, they are learning food handling, packaging, sanitizing, health department regulations, working with a team — all of that comes into play and leads them into next steps in employment,” Long said.
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A broader mission
While the shop is hiring during Disability Awareness Month, Long said the opportunities at Sugar and Spice aren’t limited to people with disabilities. She said the shop welcomes anyone facing a real barrier to employment — including developmental disabilities, mental health challenges, or young people aging out of foster care who need a chance to build work experience.
Nationally, the unemployment rate for people with a disability was 8.3% in 2025 — nearly double the 4.1% rate for people without a disability, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Gearing up for the holidays
With the holidays approaching, Sugar and Spice is ramping up staffing and rolling out new products — including a dog-friendly treat made for pups.
“These are peanut butter balls for pups. Essentially it’s the same on the inside, but it’s unsweetened carob on the outside,” according to the shop.
Long said she’s counting on her team to help keep up with holiday demand — and she said that team is ready for the challenge.
“If there is a workforce that is willing to provide that and be those extra hands that are needed, they are available and capable, and if you are willing to bring these people in, they wanna work,” Long said.
For Chambers, the job has meant more than just holiday treats.
“It was exhilarating, having my own paycheck, my own freedom,” he said.
How to apply
Sugar and Spice is looking to hire about five more employees ahead of the holiday season. They partner with Empower Us to get applicants.
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