It has been 2 years since Guyanese Keisha Alleyne founded her business La KakeUzine in Trinidad and Tobago and she is well on her way to making a household name for herself in that country with her eye-catching and mouth-watering cakes, and possibly someday in Guyana as well.
Keisha grew up having a sweet tooth, but never did she foresee that desserts would one day be the way she earned a living.
“… Every time I say the name [of her business], I get awkward stares,” she told The Scene. “I wanted the name to be unique, different, exotic and the pun within if you pronounce it fast enough was an added plus. But to break it down; La [is] ‘the’ in French, Cake with a K for my name, Uzine [is a derivation of] factory in French. This was all the product of [me] and cousin and also, bestie. Hi Alicia!”
La KakeUzine the cake artist said is, “Love wrapped in every bite.”
Cake making and decorating are not talents Keisha had, in fact the producing of mouthwatering delights took much determination and hard work. Keisha shared that the inspiration to move in this direction came when she was in a hopeless place.
“To be honest, cake was basically my favourite indulgence. However, the inspiration for this art form came straight from God at a time where I needed an avenue for financial freedom. It’s quite the testimony. Two years ago, I left my full-time job without a replacement. I wanted to challenge God for better. I didn’t like who I was becoming or how I was progressing professionally, so I made a drastic decision. I’m sure my friends and family thought it was a crazy one,” she related.
“Two months in, with no stable employment, I broke down in the middle of the night with frustration after watching a bunch of the popular Tasty food videos. In the middle of my tears, as clear as day, I believe God told me go be a boss baker! Yes, just like that with all the swag. The next day I took my savings, bought equipment, 40 lbs of butter, with no formal training and the rest is history!”
Of course, it was no easy task for someone who had no previous experience or training. There was no one technique that posed a challenge to the new baker then, everything, as far as she was concerned, was a challenge and a half. These included mastering the art of creating a completely smooth cake, managing intricate piping styles and her most difficult yet, and still a work in progress, getting the calligraphy neatly and stylishly done on the cake. She added, “Thank God for stencils.”
Initially, it was a disaster, despite the many food videos she had watched, and she had no such thing as beginner’s luck. “My first cake ever, I had no turntable [so] I made a makeshift one with a bowl and platter,” she recalled. “My measurements were not quite right. I remember sticking it in the fridge every two minutes hoping things will stay together and then eventually crying, telling myself I was crazy for even thinking I could do this as a business. But look at me now, two years later. This story makes me laugh at myself. Oh, how I was so dramatic.”
She is now good at what she does, though this does not mean that she does not make mistakes. However, Keisha has not only learned the art of baking and decorating, but also a few tricks or as she puts it, “a million ways” to fix a mistake. Buttercream, she noted, is definitely a staple for fixing while fondant toppers are excellent concealers of mistakes.
Keisha’s favourite cakes to bake are chocolate, red velvet and the classic vanilla cake.
Listening is an important skill needed when serving customers, Keisha said, instead of pushing one’s ideas on a client. Sometimes a client does not have the vaguest idea of what cake they want when there are so many to choose from. To help them arrive at a decision, Keisha asks questions relating to the flavours they like and their favourite colours.
“I love to experiment with flavour, so most times I can infuse flavours into my cakes using natural ingredients like mango, pineapple, coconut, whatever, I love the challenge. Then I ask about the budget, a very important question. It sets the stage as to how creative I can possibly get while maintaining my business. Then I ask a whole bunch of questions about the event and who the cake is for so that I can incorporate either a theme or varying elements of what the person likes. I believe each decorator has their specific style that comes out in each creation, I would think mine is classic with a sense of personality,” she said.
Speaking about budgets, Keisha said that sometimes the downside of her job is having customers who want the most but who are not willing to pay the price that comes with all they wish for. Another con, she chuckled, is washing the dishes after. But none of that measures up against the pros of creating masterpieces. There is no word that could describe what it feels like to see a customer relish her hard work, she said. But added that the remuneration package is a benefit as well as having the opportunity to be creative.
Though her decorating skills are impressive, Keisha revealed that she never cared for art while growing up. In fact, what fascinated her was public speaking lending to her entering many national debates.
As a girl Keisha attended Sunny Side Up Academy (a nursery school in Antigua), La Retraite Primary, Patentia Primary, West Demerara Secondary School and Queen’s College in Guyana and the University of the Southern Caribbean in Trinidad.
Keisha has always been a foodie and over the last two years has catered for almost every occasion with birthdays being at the top of the list. Initially, she did it full time with up to 7 jobs a month. However, since she began working with an emergency response organization that offers support to the oil and gas sector, La KakeUzine has become a part-time job for her. Her peak seasons are from February to July with Carnival usually being a hit, and November through December.
Christmas is the best time for Keisha when it comes to baking. It comes with a lot of happy memories of Guyanese Christmases. “Christmas is my happy place,” she said. “There remains one thing to make Christmas perfect, the traditional Guyanese black cake. I think my Aunt Sandrene’s version is the best!” Keisha is yet to master this.
In the meantime, she has learnt to bake cookies and is working on perfecting macarons.
Cake making is one of her greatest satisfactions. “It’s one of the most fulfilling feelings in the world, to be the focal point of some of the most intimate celebrations, bringing joy to people I never met [and having] the opportunity of making moments and memories edible if not truly amazing. So far most of my customers were from referrals and when I ask them why La KakeUzine they always say, ‘OMG my friend said it was the best taste and texture they ever had’. I also get ‘wow, the smell is amazing!’
“I see myself as the proud owner of a high-end cake studio that offers tantalizing experiences through cake; not just a bakery inspired by Haagen-Dazs stores. For those who may not know this company takes the ice cream dining experience to a whole new level of luxury.”
For small orders, Keisha often asks that persons place them at least 2 days in advance, while for big orders, she asks for at least 5 days.
The Pisces-born businesswoman considers herself to be determined, pleasant, comforting and someone with a sense of humour. Her favourite colour is green. In her free time, Keisha likes watching Netflix, catching up with family and friends on social media and sleeping, because “Adulting takes the best out of me sometimes”. Her hobbies include anything to do with fashion. And when asked about her favourite dish, her laughing response was, “Cook-up Rice and baked chicken; I feel like such a child saying that.”
Keisha can be followed on Facebook at La KakeUzine and on Instagram @la.kake.uzine.
