A Henderson Chocolate Shop Is Hiring for the Holidays, and It Wants People Others Pass Over

by Ryan Rose

What Happened

FOX5 reporter Victoria Saha visited Sugar and Spice for a story titled "Henderson chocolate shop empowers people facing barriers, hiring for holidays." The story ran on the evening of Oct. 22, 2026. It describes a small sweet shop getting ready for its busiest time of year and looking for more hands to help.

Here are the key facts from the report:

The shop: Sugar and Spice, a sweet shop in Henderson
The owner: Sheri Long
The openings: About five more employees before the holidays
Who is welcome: Anyone facing a real barrier to employment
The requirement: A willingness to learn
The partner: Empower Us, which helps connect the shop with people looking for work

Long told FOX5 that she set out to create work for people who have struggled to get hired. The idea is simple. If something has kept you from landing a job, this shop wants to hear from you.

The report also introduced Noah Chambers, an 18-year-old who works at the shop dipping treats in chocolate. He told FOX5 the job has given him confidence. He hopes to become a pastry chef one day, and this is his first work experience. For a young person with that goal, a chocolate kitchen is a pretty good place to start.

The holiday menu is part of why the shop needs help. FOX5 says the shop's peanut butter chocolate balls are among the holiday items in demand. The shop is also launching a new treat for dogs: peanut butter balls with an unsweetened carob coating.

What the Job Teaches

A holiday job can be more than a paycheck in December. According to FOX5, workers at Sugar and Spice gain experience in several areas that carry over to almost any job in food or retail:

Food handling. How to work with food safely and cleanly.
Packaging. Getting treats boxed, sealed and ready for customers.
Sanitizing. Keeping tools, counters and the kitchen clean.
Health department rules. Learning the regulations every food business has to follow.
Teamwork. Working side by side with other people to get orders out the door.

Those are real skills. Anyone who has worked in a restaurant, a bakery, a grocery store or a café knows that the basics matter. Showing up, keeping a clean station and working well with others are the things managers look for first.

FOX5 covered the same shop in February 2025 in a story titled "Henderson chocolate company, making an impact on lives of at-risk youth." That earlier report said workers learn the basics of having a job, such as arriving on time and asking for help, along with food handling. Long said in that story that the goal is for the people she hires to feel confident and to make a living.

That is the heart of it. A first job builds a work history. A work history makes the second job easier to get. And the confidence that Noah Chambers described is something you carry into every interview after that.

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

The holidays are the busiest season for a lot of small shops in Clark County. Gift boxes, office party orders and family treats all pile up at the same time. A small business that cannot find enough help can fall behind fast. So when a local shop says it needs about five more people, that is a real opening, and it is happening right now.

For job seekers in Henderson, it is a chance to get started close to home. Not everyone can commute across the valley for work. A job in your own city, at a shop that wants to teach you, can make a big difference. It is also a chance to learn in a setting where the owner has said clearly that she is not looking for a perfect résumé. She is looking for someone who wants to learn.

For families, this story may hit close to home. Many parents and caregivers in the valley know someone who has had a harder time finding work than they should. A teen looking for a first job. An adult getting back on their feet. Knowing that there are local businesses, and local groups like Empower Us, that want to help is worth something.

For shoppers, it is a simple way to make holiday spending count. When you buy gifts from a Henderson shop, more of that money stays in the community. It pays local workers. It keeps a storefront open. And in this case, it supports a business that is giving people a fair shot.

For neighbors in general, it is a story worth knowing. News about Henderson is often about big projects, new roads and new rooftops. Stories like this one are smaller, but they show the kind of everyday care that keeps a city feeling like a hometown, even as it keeps growing.

Peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate, a holiday favorite similar to the peanut butter chocolate balls in demand at Sugar and Spice in Henderson

Background and History

Sheri Long did not start out in the candy business. The February 2025 FOX5 story describes her as a former teacher. In that report, she said her classroom "morphed into a commercial kitchen." That is a good way to understand the shop. It is a business, but it still has a teacher's heart. People come in to work, and they also come in to learn.

Even back then, the shop was working with Empower Us. That earlier report described Empower Us as an organization that connects people to job opportunities. FOX5 also spoke with a worker named Mason Kevorkian, who said he never expected to get the chance to learn. He was getting ready for his next job and planned to use the skills he picked up at Sugar and Spice.

That story is a good sign of how this kind of program is meant to work. The goal is not to keep every worker forever. The goal is to give people the skills and the confidence to move on to the next step, whether that is another job, a training program or a career in food.

Empower Us describes itself on its website as a Las Vegas organization that offers employment services and support. It says it is an approved Nevada Vocational Rehabilitation provider. Its listed services include workshops on workplace readiness, financial literacy and independent living skills, job development that covers career goal planning and job placement, and paid work experiences in community settings. It also lists services for students who are moving from school into adult life.

Put those pieces together and you can see why the partnership makes sense. Empower Us helps people get ready for work and find a match. Sugar and Spice offers a real kitchen, real orders and a real paycheck during the busiest time of the year.

What Happens Next

The clock is the main thing to watch. Sugar and Spice told FOX5 it wants about five more employees before the holidays. Holiday hiring tends to move quickly, and once those spots are filled, they are filled. If you or someone you know is interested, it makes sense to reach out soon rather than waiting until December.

The FOX5 report does not list a separate application process. It points to the shop's partnership with Empower Us as the way the shop finds new hires. Empower Us lists a phone number on its website, 702-371-6646, along with a contact page. That is the clearest starting point based on what has been reported. You can ask how the process works, what the next step is, and whether the holiday openings are still available.

On the shopping side, keep an eye out for the holiday items the shop is known for, like the peanut butter chocolate balls, and the new dog treats with a carob coating. Those new dog treats could make a fun gift for the pet lover on your list this year.

It is also worth watching what happens after the holidays. Seasonal jobs end, but the skills do not. If the past is any guide, some of the people who start at Sugar and Spice this season will use that experience to land their next job in the new year.

Ryan's Take

I talk to people every week who are thinking about moving to Henderson or moving within it. They ask about schools, parks, commute times and home prices. Those things matter. But when someone has lived here a while and I ask what they love most about their part of town, they usually talk about the people. The coffee shop owner who knows their name. The neighbor who coaches their kid's team. The small business that has been on the corner for years.

A shop like Sugar and Spice is part of that fabric. It is a small business doing something good in its own backyard, and asking for nothing more than a willingness to learn. That is the kind of place that makes a neighborhood feel like a community. When you are deciding where to live, those are the places that turn a house into a home. So this holiday season, if you are in Henderson, I would love for you to shop small and shop local. And if you know someone looking for a fresh start, pass this story along.

What You Can Do

If you are looking for work: Reach out to Empower Us, the shop's hiring partner. Its website lists the phone number 702-371-6646 and a contact page at empowerus4life.com. Ask about the Sugar and Spice holiday openings and how to get started. Remember what the owner said: the only requirement is a willingness to learn. You do not need years of kitchen experience to apply.

If you know someone who could use a fresh start: Share this story with them. Sometimes the hardest part of looking for work is not knowing who is open to giving you a chance. A family member, a friend, a student or a neighbor might not have seen the FOX5 report. Passing it along takes a few seconds and could open a door.

If you are holiday shopping: Look for Henderson shops first. Gift boxes, party trays and stocking stuffers from local businesses keep money in the community and keep local people working. Sugar and Spice is one example. There are many more small businesses across Henderson and the rest of the valley that are counting on a strong holiday season.

If you run a business: Think about whether a partnership like this could work for you. Empower Us lists job development and paid work experience among its services, so it may be worth a call to learn how that works for employers. Holiday hiring is hard, and a partner that helps you find people who want to learn can be a real help.

Quick Answers

Who is hiring? Sugar and Spice, a chocolate and sweet shop in Henderson owned by Sheri Long.

How many jobs are open? The shop told FOX5 it is looking for about five more employees before the holidays.

Who can apply? The shop welcomes anyone facing a real barrier to employment. The owner says the only requirement is a willingness to learn.

What will I learn? According to FOX5, workers gain experience in food handling, packaging, sanitizing, health department regulations and teamwork.

How do I get started? The shop works with Empower Us to find new hires. Empower Us lists 702-371-6646 and a contact page on its website. Call and ask about the Sugar and Spice holiday openings.

What is new on the menu? Along with the peanut butter chocolate balls that are popular during the holidays, the shop is launching a dog-friendly treat: peanut butter balls with an unsweetened carob coating.

Is this a long-term job? The FOX5 report describes holiday hiring and does not say how long the jobs last. Ask Empower Us about that when you call. Either way, the skills you learn can help you land your next job.

Have questions about how this affects your home or neighborhood? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime. Ryan Rose | Real Broker, LLC | 702-747-5921 | ryan@rosehomeslv.com | rosehomeslv.com