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.
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.
Read more: From Pain to Pastry: How Kenya Pickens Baked Her Way to a Better Life
Getting to where Kenya is today didn’t come without challenges. One of them was bouncing back after she and the father of her now 11-year-old son, split years ago.
“I mentor high school students, and I tell them all the time that there is no such thing as a day off,” Kenya said. “Bills will not stop coming because you got your heart broken. I had to keep going through heartache and pain.”
She stayed focused and baked, cooking up ways to generate sales. As her customer base grew, so did her idea of owning a bakery.
In 2021, she moved into a former bakery space in Clay and sold cakes, cookies, banana pudding, sweet potato pies, cinnamon rolls, fried pies and turtle brownies.
The previous owner had passed and that woman’s former customers would stop by and ask Kenya if she would consider offering vegan dessert options. In honor of the previous owner, Kenya researched ways to make her own traditional desserts taste the same in the vegan form.
In 2022, Kenya added vegan cakes, which do not contain milk or eggs. Her vegan following grew, and she expanded her reach, appearing at Birmingham Vegan Fest in 2023 and 2024 and being featured at different events. In October 2024, she hosted a vegan dessert tasting at her bake shop.
As she presented each dessert, positive comments from vegan tasters filled the air.
“She’s not taking any short cuts with these cakes. I feel like she’s doing justice for vegans who are looking for good desserts,” one taster said. “From what I can tell, she nailed it.”
Kenya smiled as she received the feedback.
“When I make vegan desserts, I want it to taste like a regular dessert,” she said, citing she will use substitutes such as banana and applesauce instead of egg. (Though Kenya does make vegan desserts, they are not sitting on the shelf in her bakery for walk-in traffic every day. Those wanting vegan desserts usually place an advance order for pick up. If interested in vegan desserts, consumers should call the store in advance.)
Here’s a look at what was served during the vegan tasting in October 2024:
Vegan German Chocolate Cake – Though this event was the first time Kenya had EVER made a vegan German chocolate cake, attendees said it tasted like the real thing. Kenya challenged herself to make the German chocolate cake after a customer asked her earlier this year if she sold them. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
Vegan Triple Oreo Mousse Parfait – Made with Oreos, which are vegan. It also featured vegan Cool Whip. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
Vegan Chi Cupcake – Made with Just Egg plant-based substitute, pumpkin spice, nutmeg and cloves. The icing is made with a lactose-free margarine, almond milk and oat milk, but it had the consistency and taste of a butter cream icing. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
Vegan Banana Pudding – Featured a smooth banana pudding made with oat milk, Just Egg plant-based product, refined sugar and cornstarch. It also had pieces of banana in it. It was topped with vegan Cool Whip. Starting this holiday season, Kenya said her vegan banana pudding will be made with vanilla Oreos crumbled on top. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
Vegan Pumpkin Spice Cake Cookie – Tasted like a spice crumble cookie topped with strudel. It was made with pumpkin puree, refined sugar, Just Egg plant-based product, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, regular flour and brown sugar. (Photo by Chanda Temple)
Vegan Carrot Cake – Made with Just Egg plant-based product, vegetable oil, cinnamon, refined sugar, finely chopped carrots, flour, chopped peacans, and pineapple juice.
“When I first started at Virginia College, I did not want to be a pastry chef. It was too time consuming,” Kenya said. “But then, I started getting better as the years went by. So, pastry is what called me. I did not call it.”
Kenya, whose homemade rolls are featured on the menu of a Gadsden restaurant, is glad she followed her calling.
“I’ve learned that I don’t really have patience for things. But when it comes to this cake business, I have a lot of patience. I have a lot of determination. I have a lot of endurance,” she said. “And this showed me that I am a bigger person than I thought I was. Now, I can see myself being a business woman.”
“This started off as a hobby, and then it became my identity,” she said. “This is who I am. It’s actually my brand.”
Savor This!: Kenya is selling desserts for the holidays. Thanksgiving orders are due Monday, Nov. 25, 2024. Her regular cakes and vegan cakes are $38.50 each. Pick up for Thanksgiving is Wednesday, Nov. 27 from 12 to 5 p.m. at her bakery. Christmas orders are due Dec. 20, 2024. Call 205-407-4330. Payment must be made in advance.
Her traditional cakes include: lemon, red velvet, chocolate, yellow, vanilla, key lime, lemon and strawberry cakes; and traditional vanilla, lemon and sour cream poundcakes.
Her vegan cakes include: lemon, red velvet, chocolate, strawberry and vanilla cakes; and vanilla and lemon poundcakes
Her regular and vegan homemade buns are $5 for a pack of six.
Velvet Kake is located at 2466 Old Springville Road in Clay. The bakery is open Tuesday – Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Chanda Temple is an award-winning writer living in Birmingham, Ala. She blogs at http://www.chandatemplewrites.com. If you have a food story idea, email her at chandatemple@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram at @chandatemple.
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