November 2024

Life stuffed with flavor: The Little Bougie Foodie’s inspiring burger journey

November 21, 2024
Blogging, branding, Business, Community, Entrepreneurs, Food, Food in Birmingham, Inspiring Stories

By Chanda Temple

When Alice Goldsmith was diagnosed with a brain tumor in October 2019, doctors told her it was inoperable. They gave her two years to live.

Alice refused to take that as the final answer. She did research until she found a doctor in the Bronx with a different outlook. And on March 12, 2020, Alice had a new beginning.

She underwent a successful surgery, but the tumor, which was the size of a quarter, had left her unable to multi-task the way she used to do when she worked for an insurance provider in metro-Birmingham. She wondered what she’d do next.

Since she loved to cook, she left her desk job and decided to work with food. On Oct. 7, 2021, The Lil Bougie Foodie truck was born.

“My friends would tell me that my food was so bougie (another word for fancy),” Alice said. “I’m a presentation person, and I would make these meals with different colored peppers and red or white onions. One friend would say, ‘Hey Bougie!’ And I would say, ‘I’m not bougie. Just a little bougie.’ ”

The name stuck.

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From Pain to Pastry: How Kenya Pickens Baked Her Way to a Better Life

November 18, 2024
branding, Business, Entrepreneurs, Food, Food in Birmingham, Inspiration, Inspiring Stories, Motivation Monday

By Chanda Temple

Kenya Pickens graduated from culinary school in 2007 with dreams of dishing out delicious dinners.

But after working at a country club for only a few months, she lost her job. Devastated, she thumbed through the Yellow Pages, calling businesses and asking, “Are you hiring?”

More than a week later, those calls led to two job offers: being a server at a steakhouse and working at a bakery. She took both. Although Kenya had not studied baking, she settled in to learn a new skill.

Eventually, she became so good at baking, that she stepped out on faith and left the bakery in 2008 to sell her own desserts. She made five cakes a week and sold slices at barber shops, beauty shops and a discount meat market. In 2015, she started selling at Birmingham-area farmers markets while she still worked full-time jobs in various industries. Her days were long and her weekends were longer. But she knew that one day, her dedication would pay off.

Kenya Pickens opened Velvet Kake bakery in 2021 in Clay, AL, selling cakes, cookies and more. She’s grown her following to include fans of traditional and vegan desserts. (Photo Source: Kenya Pickens)

On Dec. 1, 2021, she moved into her own storefront, Velvet Kake, in Clay, Ala. and became a full-time baker. (She got the name because she sells so many red velvet cakes. Her mother, Evelyn Sherard, works in the bakery with her.)

Today, Kenya sells about 30 cakes a week.

“I should have given up a long time ago, but I kept going because I had something to prove,” said Kenya, 38.

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These Birmingham, AL pound cakes are so good, you’ll give thanks twice

November 13, 2024
Business, Community, Entrepreneurs, Food

By Chanda Temple

Imagine sinking your teeth into a slice of buttery heaven.

The moistness. The golden glow. The home-baked happiness. They are all there in the five-flavor poundcake from Herban Soul Cafe in Woodlawn, AL.

When people try a slice, they swear a seasoned senior made it. But the young person behind it is Herban Soul Cafe tea house founder and self-taught baker Alexis Kimbrough, who makes the poundcake from a cherished family recipe.

“People don’t believe I made it,” said Alexis, 30. “But they like it. They say it takes them back to their childhood.”

Alexis Kimbrough uses a family recipe to make her five-flavor poundcake. She is now taking orders for her poundcakes for Thanksgiving 2024. The deadline to order is Nov. 20. (Photo source: Chanda Temple)

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