Today we’d like to introduce you to Patricia Murray.
Patricia, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
When I was about nine years old, I used to watch my aunt Colleen cook in her Harlem apartment. She was a chef in New York and she made the best carrot cake. She often sold her legendary cakes to people in the neighborhood. I definitely credit her for exposing me to a world of food. When I finished high school, I knew for certain that I was headed for Culinary School. In 1999 I attended the NYC College of Technology to study Hospitality Management. For the next ten years, my kitchen experiences gave me solid foundation to grow in my career. From cooking at Walt Disney World as an Intern, waiting on tables in Times Square, shucking oysters by the South Street Seaport, dressing fish, grilling steaks, plating 300 desserts for dinner services; to then later becoming a NYC Pastry Chef- after 20 years I am happy to say that I have no regrets. Working for two specific Brooklyn Chefs throughout my career has truly stuck with me because they literally showed me what a woman can accomplish in this industry and earn respect for it.
By 2017, I had had enough of being a divorced entrepreneur mom in Queens. After some thought, I had flipped a coin (literally had to pick either Atlanta or Houston), swallowed my fears, quit my job, packed up my car to the roof and moved to Atlanta with only $1,200! My mother’s first cousin and his wife generously gave me shelter and opportunity to build a foundation and fresh start. I will say that coming to Atlanta with a child and a dream has been no easy feat. I had a few health scares, which led to a change in my diet and then a serious shift to my entire business model- I now offer vegan/ plant-based cakes to my clients. Recently, during the COVID 19 pandemic and this racially charged reality, I launched a vegan macaron brand called Seeded Macaron which is sold via online shop. Sales have been better than I hoped. Today, I am grateful to live, love, learn and grow with my new blended family of four- and I wouldn’t change one thing. Atlanta owes me nothing!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not been a smooth road at all. I was trying to raise my then 11 years old son on my own with very limited financial resources. Not to mention how upset my son was about changing schools, leaving his friends and family behind. On top of all that, I started driving for Uber and Postmates. I would deliver food on my days off from my fulltime job in order to afford groceries, rent, car note, and whatever my son needed. I was still trying to figure out how to get back into the entrepreneur game in an unknown city.
Caked By Pat – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m very proud of what I’ve been able to build my company, ‘Caked By Pat’ to be in only two years. The process has humbled me and I believe because I choose to treat my clients and colleagues with respect, kindness, care – and act with transparency, my company will succeed. Transitioning to vegan baking has been the best decision. I can connect with people on an organic level I never have before. To me veganism is about caring about others, so then I guess I’m selling love, right? Delicious beautiful custom cakes, cupcakes, alkaline stuffed dates, and oh- of course, vegan macarons! The macarons had been pretty popular in the West End so much so that I was inspired to launch a plant-based macaron line called ‘Seeded Macaron’ on July 21st, 2020. It has gotten off to great start via the online shop.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I can’t really say that there is any one thing that sticks out for me- I’m just doing what I love to do. Seeing how proud my parents are of what I’ve been able to accomplish this far is enough to motivate me to keep going!
Contact Info:
- Address: Cottage address: Denville Trace SW Atlanta GA 30331
- Website: www.seededmacaron.com, www.cakedbypat.com
- Phone: 3479480525
- Email: cakedbypat@gmail.com seedmacaron@gmail.com
Image Credit:
Rhonda Manns
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