Rising Stars: Meet Cadeitra Russell of Florence, Al

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cadeitra Russell.

Hi Cadeitra, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have been baking since I was young. As I got older it was just a hobby baking birthday cakes and all occasions cakes. I’m a Cosmetologist as well. In 2019 when Covid struck, the state shut down the beauty salons. I had to find a way to make some income before I started receiving my unemployment. I started baking from home and selling cake slices on Sundays. In 21-22, I decided to start my baking business Cakes By Cadeitra. I’m a self taught cake decorator baking from home under the cottage food law.
I’m still baking from home but I’m in the process of working on my building to make a personal commercial kitchen so that I can have my home back🥰. In the meanwhile , I’ve decided to start a food truck with all of my prepackaged desserts on there.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not been smooth at all. I didn’t have the money to really start my business so I took a chance and stepped out on faith. Getting started, I would bake cakes, sell them when I would get paid, I would go buy more supplies and bake More.. The struggle is when you’re baking alone, making the labels and then packaging everything. When I found the transit bus that I wanted to use as my food truck, getting it all gutted out and finding someone to do it was a huge challenge, I worked on this for 3 years. Now it’s all completed and ready to serve my desserts.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’ve been a cosmetologist for 40 years. I started going to the salon as my mother’s shampoo assistant after I would get out of school if I didn’t have a Basketball ,Volleyball game or Track Meet . My mother was a cosmetologist for 60+ years so I followed in her foot steps. After years of doing hair, sometimes clientele can decline so decided I wanted to do floral arrangements along with doing hair so I opened DeeDee’s Floral Design. I do weddings, funeral sprays, cemetery floral and all occasions home arrangements . I also took a part time cashier job at Home Depot where I became a head cashier after 3 months and went on to become front end supervisor for 4 1/2 years. During this time my mom retired due to health reasons and then I resigned from Home Depot and went in the salon full time. I’m most proud of myself because I never gave up on anything I tried to do. I was one told that you can find a lot of great ideas in the cemetery……I couldn’t understand that at first but then I did. People are to afraid to try different things and they take those ideas to the grave with them. But that’s not me. You want know if your going to fail if you don’t try. What sets me apart from others ? I’M NOT AFRAID.
At family and friends gatherings, I’m known for my macaroni and cheese. In the cake business, I’m known for my best seller, my Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. I’m most proud of myself that I will be able to purchase the building where the salon is located at now. It’s special to me because this building was the only Black Cosmetology College in the State of Alabama and this is where my mom did her training and received her credential’s. When all Renovations are completed, I will have 4 additional booths for rent as well as the back part will be separated for Cakes By Cadeitra’s Commercial Kitchen .

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
The most important lesson that I have learned along my journey is that I can’t do this without God. Sometimes you have to do the job alone. Everyone doesn’t want to see you win. Just because your family and friends don’t support your small business, just means those are not your customers . If things are not going as you thought they should be at the moment, don’t give up. This just means it is not your season. God is testing you to see if you really trust him. I Do….

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Www.CakesByCadeitra.com