Andrenise, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My Granny was always cooking and baking something delicious for everybody near and far. To keep up with her requests, she would summon five-year-old me to help. Twenty years later, I have continued her legacy with a twist. After obtaining my chemistry degree from Spelman College in 2016, I was ready to enter to the world of ‘adulting’. A few months into this new world, I fell ill to Guillain Barre Syndrome— leaving me paralyzed.
This left me unemployed and defeated. It took several months of therapy for me to regain normal function in my limbs. During this recovery time, I turned to baking for comfort. Something about measuring, pouring, beating, and mixing was very healing to me. I sometimes joke with others and say that it was my Granny’s spirit pulling me into the kitchen telling me to “bake through it”.
Since I had never had a sweet tooth, I would share my creations with friends and family. They would brag to their coworkers, friends, and colleagues about the desserts I had made them. As a result, others started requesting samples.
Still unemployed and not having any means of income, I decided to capitalize on the demand. Although CookingWNise is still very new, it has transformed into more than a side hustle. It is something that I continue to work on even in my sleep. In the coming years, I hope that CookingWNise is nationally recognized.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Running a business is not an easy task. It is a challenge to run all aspects of my business. I handle the communications, packaging, shipping, and social media advertising. I have taught myself through trial and error and I am still learning. Through it all, I have learned that providing excellent customer service is most important. You can have the best social media campaign, provide the perfect product, and meet the demand, but if you do not have good customer service it does not matter. The strong repertoires I have built with my customers have created the standard and I am appreciative of them.
CookingWNise – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
CookingWNise is a cake business that was created out of a hobby. We could have never imagined this amount of growth in so little time. We pride ourselves on flavor, freshness, and presentation. We are known for our innovative and super moist cake flavors that are compacted in jars. We take popular desserts and make delicious cake versions. Some of our favorites include Banana Pudding, Cherry Cheesecake, S’mores, and Cinnamon Rolls. Our cakes are also unique in a sense that they are put into plastic or glass jars that make transport easy and convenient for the customer. They can be enjoyed as a snack, given as a gift, or personalized for special events. The amount of support that we receive from our customers is irrefutable. Their loyalty and feedback are what makes CookingWNise thrive today. In the future, we hope to grow our services and offer more types of innovative desserts like cookies, brownies, and cake truffles.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I do not have specific criteria for measuring success. I believe that success is subjective and comes from within. It is a feeling of completion and gratitude that occurs when you accomplish a set of goals. It is forever changing and necessary to mark personal growth. Is CookingWNise successful? No, we have had many successful moments and will continue to set new goals as we see fit.
Pricing:
- 8oz. Glass Jar Cakes $10/each
- 4oz. Plastic Jar Cakes $30/per dozen
Contact Info:
- Email: cookingwnise@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cookingwnise/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/cookingwithnise/posts/
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