Photo by Kamp Fender
Employee Tasha Brooks shows off a homemade pie from Woodlawn’s newest bakery, Velvet Kake, located at 5831 First Ave. N.
Kenya Pickens’ story doesn’t start with a glamorous realization that she loved baking after years of working her way up in a bakery. In fact, she discovered her passion for the craft almost eight years after she said goodbye to her side job at Pastry Arts.
Now, almost 10 years later, Pickens has recently opened the storefront version of Velvet Kake at 5831 First Ave. N. to spread a little sweetness to Woodlawn.
The Velvet Kake storefront, which specializes in red velvet cake and banana pudding cake, opened Aug. 4. Pickens said it is her mission to make homemade treats for everyone to enjoy.
“People like sweets, but especially when they are homemade,” Pickens said.
Owning a storefront was not always the plan, though. After leaving Pastry Arts, she worked other jobs for eight years before she decided to return to the world of sweets. She opened MaryKupcake out of her home, and everything was perfect about the setup — except the name.
Pickens and her mother, Evelyn Sherard, thought the store needed a more mature title, something that could get the identity of the business across to customers. Since they specialized in red velvet cakes, Pickens had the idea to drop the “red” and add a “K” to “cake,” to represent her name.
In May 2016, she adopted the name and the commercial kitchen was officially open. Skip ahead to today, and Velvet Kake operates as a storefront, or “baketique,” instead of a bakery.
The recent grand opening wasn’t even the best part for Pickens, as she has bigger plans for the brand. With the help of sponsors, she was able to donate free school supplies to kids in the community as a way to give back and connect with her community.
“I reached out to some people, and we all came together and just made it happen,” Pickens said.
The next big step for the baketique, Pickens said, was participating in the Oct. 20 “Stop the Violence Classic Kickoff,” which raised money to purchase laptops and textbooks for local schools. “We are letting the community know that we are here and we are supporting them,” she said.
As far as growing Velvet Kake, Pickens said “the sky's the limit.” She is currently doing everything from selling to other businesses to traveling to farmer’s markets and festivals to partnering with Uber Eats.
To browse the menu and store hours, visit velvetkakellc.com.
