Maayan Zilberman is the artist behind NYC-based luxury candy company Sweet Saba, which crafts handmade sculptures out of sugar. Cue stomach growl. Maayan was born in Israel and gets her love of cooking from her grandfather–who she named the company after. Her artistry has even extended beyond food, as Maayan is also the founder of lingerie line The Lake & Stars. Curious about how this creative candymaker ends her busy day? Scroll down for more.
5:30 P.M. These days this is about the time I realize I should have lunch… I tend to get into a work zone and forget to look away. Luckily my workspace is also a kitchen, so I have food around and can go back to creating samples or sketching.  Now that the days are a little longer this time of year, I always take 20 mins or so to watch the sun set. When I signed the lease on my studio (which is on the 22nd floor) I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t miss this time of day- to take time to appreciate its magic. I stop what I’m doing, remove my apron, and watch the sun disappear…then I stretch out the half hour or so afterward to work in twilight before having to turn all the lights on. It’s so romantic.
 6:30 P.M. My last minute orders and emails come in as the day is coming to an end… Usually a client asking for a special candy for an event the following week, or an editor requesting a replica of a shoe, handbag, or lipstick… This is the moment when I either drop it all to put my apron back on or switch into gym clothes.
On days when I put on my gym clothes, I head up to the penthouse of my studio’s building and use the gym, which has 360-degree views of the city. I do 20 mins of cardio, 20 mins of core on the floor, then stretch on a mat. After my workouts, I like to sit on the roof and look out at the city. For so many years in prior careers I spent all my time indoors without perspective on where I live or how small I am compared to the city. This space really helps me stay grounded.
7:30 P.M. At this point, I can assume nobody is expecting me to respond to emails, so I do a lot of my development during these hours. On most evenings I’ll draw or carve foam into shapes I want to create for new projects, or I’ll experiment with new materials like resins that just hit the market or mixing candy into other potions. I like to turn the music up when I do this and tune out any phone or emails sounds.
8 P.M. If it’s a night when I’ve made social plans, I’ll make it out the door around this time–leaving about 10 minutes to get primped. I don’t like to fuss too much about my outfit or makeup, I find the faster I put it all together the more daring, loose, and good-natured the look is. You can always tell when someone’s spent too much time on their appearance. I’ll usually come up with my look in the A.M., pack a few accessories and some stockings or fishnets in my bag, then get ready at work. I keep a library of shoes, makeup, and nail polish at the studio so I can always figure it out last minute.
10 P.M. My fiance Alex works till late on weeknights–he practices Jiu Jitsu and teaches these students until late at night, so our evenings tend to begin a bit later than most. I like to have a few date night ideas up my sleeve (as does he) so when we meet up around 10 P.M. each night we have something fun to look forward to, not just going home. It’s obviously seasonal, but some of my favorite things to do at this hour are late-night food discoveries, walks on the promenade in Brooklyn (by our house), or Tacombi, where we can always get a good taco and my favorite orange soda, Lupita. Part of this time together is what I need to get my mind refreshed (and inspired) for non-stop days at the studio.
12 A.M. When I get home it’s a race to see how fast I can get my heels off and into my pearl-encrusted slippers. I read through the mail, check the secret treat drawer, and snack on whatever I hid from myself the week before. I like to hang out at home in my tights and bra top, it makes me feel like a jazz dancer. I still have my entire lingerie archive, so I like to put it to use around this time of night. Before lights out I wash off my makeup then re-apply red lipstick and a hint of mascara, so I have a fresh look in the morning. My grandma taught me that.