Today we’d like to introduce you to DeAnna Hughes.
Hi DeAnna, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Growing up, my dad would always have sweets around the house. My dad was consistently working the third shift for HP as a computer engineer, and he needed something to keep him awake. So, my mom would buy a box of honey buns from Sam’s Club, so my dad could eat 1-2 a night to keep him awake. However, I would sneak a honey bun or two to eat at night, and that is when I fell in love with pastries.
Ever since then, I have always eaten sweets from cookies to brownies to, HEY, honey buns! Growing older, I was never fond of cooking, although I always helped my mom bake sweet potato pies for Christmas and make boxed cakes for birthdays, etc.
Next, when the pandemic hit, I started baking different things. I found myself consistently looking up different baking recipes to try and bake. My very first baked good was a banana bundt cake with a thin vanilla icing over the cake. It was slightly rough looking, but my flavors were bursting. So, as the years went by and I started to make more desserts, I got more customers. It was then that I decided to open up my online bakery!
What motivated me the most was my parents’ journey. My parents immigrated from Jamaica to America to allow my older sister and me to live a better life. They also gave us opportunities like this to start something that we love, and my love is baking.
Alright, 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?
It was not always a smooth road opening the online bakery. I was having struggles finding the right pink tin size for my pastries. I continue to struggle with finding an accurate packaging sizes for my products and finding an easier process to put my label ingredients on my tins.
I see all these struggles as a learning opportunities than failures. I still have the drive to continue to put my business out into the community as much as I can being a part-time baker.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My lifetime goal is to become a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). I developed my passion for mental health services ever since high school. I believe this profession aligns with who I am because I love to help people around me, whether I know them or not. It fuels me every day that I can help someone in any way or form.
I am currently getting my master’s in clinical counseling in order to get my licenses as a therapist and working full-time as a behavioral health outreach specialist for a health agency. My health agency provides dental, vision, medical, and behavioral health services. My job entails helping schedule counseling, psychiatric, and substance use treatment appointments. I also help with referrals from medical providers within our agency to get our patients in for behavioral health services.
What’s next?
My plans for the future is gaining a license as a therapist, still baking part-time, and hopefully, starting a family for myself!
Pricing:
- Made To Order – Blondies or Brownies – $10
- Plain Brownies or Blondies – $7
- 6-inch Banana Bundt Cake – $12
- Banana Bund Cake Bites – $8
- Holiday Special Flavor Item – $10
Contact Info:
- Website: www.eatdeezsweetz.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deez.sweetz/
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/eatdeezsweetz
