Exploring Life & Business with Candace Stevens of Candace Denice Cakes

Today we’d like to introduce you to Candace Stevens.

Hi Candace, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started out loving the kitchen by watching cooking shows as a kid. Emeril Live was my favorite! I watched my parents cook breakfast and dinner and eventually was allowed to help. Where I liked helping the most though was when my dad would make his popular pound cakes. As a teenager, I remember I would watch him bake them from time to time for families at our church. When a bake sale presented itself I decided to try my hand at it, and my brownies and pound cake slices were a hit! I started receiving requests for full cakes immediately. So, I took action and started baking for friends family. I assumed that it would stay a hobby but it soon grew and grew some more. Four years later, I am running Candace Denice Cakes baking birthday cupcakes, holiday pies, wedding cakes and more!

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 a smooth road the entire time. The first 2 years of the business were pretty slow and as it’s increased I have spent more and more time baking while working a full-time job. That is of course physically taxing and it has become hard to juggle other aspects of life. Perhaps the biggest struggle has been having fibromyalgia. The physical pain and limitations hindered the start of the business as well as my dreams for it and at times made me question whether or not I could continue.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Candace Denice Cakes is a small, black-owned business that delivers to the surrounding areas from Dayton to Cincinnati, Ohio and even as far as Northern Kentucky. Candace Denice is a self-taught home baker known for individualizing desserts for birthdays, weddings, bridal showers and other events. She bakes from scratch for most items and offers a variety of cake and cupcake flavors, cake size and icing choices. Her home bakery offers cookies, pies, cheesecakes, chocolate-covered items, hot cocoa bombs and other items! Her favorite desserts to bake are wedding cakes and decorating Rosette Cakes! Allowing customers the ability to customize their order gives each dessert an individualized look. Whether that’s creating a fondant lion for a baby shower, decorating a unicorn cake using a birthday girl’s favorite colors or having a wedding cake look like a baseball for Red’s fans you’ll know that this item was made especially for you!

Candace Denice offers baking classes that are always a fun time for friends, family and schools to participate in. Customers learn how to decorate cupcakes or cakes with a variety of icing tips and icing colors to choose from.

As a full-time employee at a school working with students with autism and other disabilities she has also taught cooking classes at her school as well as baking classes at other local schools. Teaching kitchen safety and skills to increase independence and comfort in the kitchen as well as how to cook and bake foods to meet their young palettes is her main goal but getting hands-on with foods and having decorating items are highlights for the kids. Merging her passion for both baking and helping kids has helped them gain more self-confidence, control and understanding around food.

Candace Denice is proud to bake with love knowing that God has gifted her with a talent that has no boundaries.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I don’t believe luck has had any part in my life or business. I believe that I am blessed and favored and that God has had the biggest role in my life and business. I don’t shy away from professing to believe that without Him there would be no Candace Denice Cakes as it is today. I am thankful to know what prayer, grace and favor are over luck

Contact Info:

• Email: info@candacedenice.com
• Website: www.candacedenice.com
• Instagram: CandaceDeniceCakes
• Facebook: CandaceDeniceCakes