Community Highlights: Meet Kenya Long of Couture Cakes By Kenya

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenya Long.

Hi Kenya, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Before we start, I just want to thank VoyageJacksonville for the opportunity to do this interview. I haven’t done anything like this before. So, I’m super excited.

Well, I am a nurse who found a love for baking during the pandemic.

So I call myself a Nurse by day and Baker by Night… lol. It all started during the shutdown of 2020. It was my birthday, I had no other choice, due to the shutdown, but to make my own birthday cake. I could always bake but I had no idea how to decorate a cake. At that time, all I knew how to do was to put the icing on a cake with a butterknife.

So, I had a few friends over who absolutely enjoyed the cake that I made. The cake was a red velvet cake with cream cheese icing.

It was an 8inch 3-layer cake. I put a few artificial flowers around the bottom to go with my Hawaiian birthday theme. By the end of the gathering, there was not a single piece of cake left. They were still talking about how delicious it was. One of my coworkers (Sahkinah Scott) said “this cake is good enough to sell. I will pay you to make me this cake”.

I told her you don’t have to pay. I’ll just make it for you. She ended up Cashapping me $50. Which I didn’t ask for. Fast forward, she took the cake home and shared it with her family who also placed an order. They also cashapped me $50. I had no idea that I had started a business… lol. This went on and on with this one cake flavor. Lol. Now, this was May 2020. That October, I decided to take a few private cake decorating classes.

It was four classes to be exact. I didn’t want to continue to sell cakes that had icing applied with a butterknife. On the first day, I made a cake with yellow rosettes. The instructor (Charity Ferguson of Queen Sweets and Treats) was amazed at how quickly I caught on, on day one of the class. She taught me the basics of cake decorating in four classes. By Thanksgiving, I was doing this cake every week. I did 10 cakes for Thanksgiving Day.

I did the same for Christmas. So, I thought you myself, wait just a minute here. I have started a business from 1 cake recipe. With the help and advice of my instructor, on January 11th, 2021, I was able to officially start my small business (Couture Cakes by Kenya). I obtained a license under the FL Cottege Law. I had so much support and encouragement from my instructor, family, and friends.

I have always believed that things happen for a reason. I felt like this business fell in my lap. I believe that when things happen that way, it’s completely for you. It was nothing but God who showed me that I could do it. I went from doing a 8inch cake (using a butterknife) to making and selling a 4 tiered decorative wedding cake.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The business is going well so far. I can say that a business doesn’t come without obstacles. My biggest challenge is learning how to run a business. All I know, career-wise, is how to be a Nurse. So it has been a big adjustment for me.

I really need to take a business class for sure. I am basically learning and organizing my business as I go. I have faced many challenges. Learning how to adequately price my products and make a profit is my number one challenge. I have faced obstacles, such as, making a cake that took hours and then dropping it on the floor. When that happened, I had to start completely over 3 hours before my client expected the delivery.

Now, that was the worst, but I had the new cake on time and the customer was happy.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
I am a home-based business with a clean environment. I do custom-made cakes for any special occasion. I’ve done cakes for birthdays, weddings, graduations, anniversaries, and babyshowers.

I’ve offered themed cakes for adults and themed cakes for children. I also do cupcakes by the dozen. I offer a variety of cake flavors. I have taken the time to perfect the flavor to ensure that the recipe produces a flavorful and moist cake. I offer the following cake flavors: Vanilla, Confetti, Red Velvet, Strawberry, Chocolate, Almond, Cookies and Cream, Key Lime, Lemon, and Carrot.

I also do a Pound Cake. It is my late grandmother’s recipe. I am very proud to have it.

My cupcake flavors are as follows: Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, Almond, Red Velvet, and Confetti. As my business is growing, I’m slowly adding new flavors. I’m known for my signature Red Velvet. That is the #1 flavor that keeps my customers coming back.

What makes me different from other businesses? Well, I’m just unique in what I do and I do it to the best of my ability. I try my best to come up with the best cake decorating ideas after talking to my customers. I do use pictures provided by the customer for inspiration only. I always ask them to let me freehand. I think that my cakes come out better when I’m allowed to be in my own element.

My most proud moment during this business journey is when I hear that the customer loves the taste of the cake and the decore.

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
The best advice I could give to a new baker is to take classes, do your research financially, listen and write down what the client wants, plan effectively, and learn to be organized in what you do.

I should’ve taken a business class before I started and worked in a bakery for a few months. Learning how other bakers organize and run a business would have helped.

I want to lastly thank God for revealing and instilling in me the creativity to run a business. I want to also thank my family and friends for all the love, support, and encouragement they have shown me. To the readers of this article, thank you for taking the time to read it.

Please visit my social media pages. To inquire about a cake. Call 904-419-8802. Couture Cakes By Kenya would love to speak with you.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @Couturecakesbykenya
• Facebook: Couturecakesbykenya

Image Credits
Kenya Long and Tamera Wilcox