Meet Camara Jenkins of Cam-U-Taste-It in Metro Atlanta

Today we’d like to introduce you to Camara Jenkins.

Camara, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
The vision of Cam-U-Taste-It was brought to fruition approximately five years ago. We were new to the area and my baby girl was turning three. She loved ice-cream and I thought an ice-cream theme party would be ideal. Of course, I needed a cake that would compliment her theme. I called the local grocery store and provided them with a description of the cake I wanted, they quoted me a price of $80. I thought that price was astronomical and out of my budget. However, the invitations and the date of my daughter’s party was set, so I needed to figure something out. I set out to watch every YouTube video showing cakes that would fit the ice-cream themed party. After several hours of research, I finally felt confident enough to give it a try…and that is how Cam-U-Taste-It was birthed.

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?
The road to present day has been a winding one. My love for baking began at a young age. My grandmom, great aunts and several other family members baked. I earned badges as a Girl Scout for baking and I excelled in my home economics class in middle school. Baking was never an issue or a struggle, decorating a cake was!

I didn’t know the first thing about cake decorating and how intricate it could be. I’d never made my own icing before, never worked with Fondant and I was not introduced to a cake cutter or edible printer until recently. I set out to learn everything I could. I learned that there are so many different types of frosting, so many different brands of fondant and quite a few different edible printers and cutters. I was unsure if pursuing a culinary degree was something I was interested in, so I began taking courses to help me learn and perfect my techniques. I took classes with local stores like Michael’s and Cake Art, I attended online courses and webinars and I watch YouTube religiously. I consider myself to still be a student of the craft and I am always interested in learning new techniques, new methods, trying new recipes and challenging myself to be better.

Over the last five years, I have baked cakes, cupcakes, cake pops and cookies. I created chocolate covered Oreos, rice krispy treats and candy apples. I do not know if I will add any additional sweets or treats to my offerings but I do know I am committed to getting better so I can be recognized as an all-around great baker.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Cam-U-Taste-It – what should we know?
Because I am self-taught, I do not charge an astronomical amount for my sweets and treats. I remember being quoted very high prices for baked goods and thinking it was wrong. While I know first hand how intricate and time consuming some of the tasks related to baking can be, it is important to know your worth. I believe in making a profit, but I do not believe in taking advantage of people.

I specialize in bringing people’s visions to fruition. I help families celebrate life events with great tasting treats that will not hurt their budget. I offer packages that include several types of deserts to offer variety to my customers, especially those with small children. Most parents do not want their children pumped with sugar so I have worked to find a good balance of sweetness without it being over-powering.

My new obsession is 3-D cakes. I find images and then I add a layer of frosting, fondant or other edible options to make the image and cake appear 3-D.

I am most proud of the progress I made over the last five years. I am extremely happy that I have a loyal customer base and that word a mouth has proven to be extremely beneficial in this line of work.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I have a Bachelor’s degree in business management and over ten years of customer service experience. Ironically though, I am an introvert so I work hard to step outside of my comfort zone. I find that being adaptable and willing to grow has helped me a lot. Additionally, I think it is important to be confident in the work you are putting out, so practice makes perfect. Lastly, I like to live by a little motto that says, “Put yourself in the customer’s shoes.”

Contact Info:

• Email: camutasteit@gmail.com

Image Credit:
The Ice cream cake with the cone is the very first cake I made for my daughter. The LOL Doll Cake for Pipen was the first cake I made for someone outside of my circle of family and friends. The Delta Sigma Theta Cake was made for someone who didn’t have a cake since her 16th birthday (she turned 35 this year).

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