Cakes by Chante bakery owner, Chante Bernard recounted the start of her journey to the holy matrimony of her parents, celebrated on September 8, 1973. They were showered with wedding gifts and among these presents, they would find a lime green Hamilton Beach cake mixer, a gift that would encompass a beautiful destiny.
From their unity, Chante Bernard was born on July 3. As soon as she could reach the counter, she used that cake mixer at full speed.
Stepping into her passion, Bernard elevated her vision and chose to dedicate her energy to perfecting the craft of baking. In a lot of cases, when one samples the sweet selection by Cakes by Chante, there’s a direct order for more.
Bernard sat exclusively with the Los Angeles Sentinel and opened up about her journey in legitimizing her business. She plans to expand her pallet to a bigger audience, so the entire world can experience the taste of love.
Intune with her ability to create addicting desserts, Bernard said she doesn’t remember a time she wasn’t turning on the oven. “So, I’ve been baking since I was a little girl,” she continued, “I asked my mom what age I started baking and she said she doesn’t really know, she said ‘I believe you were a pre-teen.’” Her mother pinpointed her baking abilities began to show around the age of 12.
“I knew from a young age this is what I wanted to do,” Bernard said, recalling the first cake she ever made was a classic yellow cake with chocolate icing.
If one could choose to eat one cake from Cakes by Chante, for the rest of their lives, many people would choose the signature red velvet. It’s a noted delicacy Bernard’s skill is attached to. However, she also taps into new frontiers of flavor, with an original recipe of Lemon Raspberry cake.
Her zesty creation has a hand-crafted lemon cake base, enveloped by a thin layer of raspberry preserve, adorned with lemon curd and fresh raspberries in between the layers, and lacquered with lemon cream cheese icing.
As a Black woman in power, she is taking matters into her own hands and creating a sweet life for herself. Bernard explained the feeling of liberation while she was baking, for Chante, this is more than just cake. She bakes for the memories of her clients and the value of the community.
Reflecting on her clientele, Bernard stated, “I have the most amazing conversations,” She continued, “And sometimes I think, this is more than just cake. It’s about building relationships; it’s about sharing information–many times I’ve talked about God and our spiritual beliefs–we talked about so much.”
Words traveled through the community, carrying the growth of Chante’s business. After tasting Cakes by Chante, one will feel the desire to tell everyone they know about the flavorful experience.
In every fork load, one can taste the richness and sophistication that Ms. Bernard holds in her personal style. She admitted to being “simple but elegant.” However, there’s an extra scoop of extravagance thrown into the batter, adding unforgettable flavor.
“I can look at a cake, and tell if it came out right or not,” Bernard continued, “Most times they do come out right, but if it doesn’t, I’m going to bake the cake over.” According to her eye, most of her cakes make it to the table, but if it doesn’t look right, Bernard begins to crack more eggs for round two.
Making people smile with artisan delicacies defines the business Bernard is creating; she spends a critical amount of time preparing all her orders. Ms. Bernard described her work as therapeutic; each bite is a love letter from the pastry chef herself. Experience different shades of romance by trying the cupcakes, banana pudding, and other treats crafted by Chante.
That’s when something struck Ms. Chante, as she puts her focus on superb taste, she will hone in on what it will take to finance her own business. Putting her plan into fruition, Ms. Bernard is now overseeing the designs of her mobile bakery. A variety of cakes can be valued at $65 for a nine-inch round size, that includes three layers of superb taste.
Available for any occasion, cakes by Bernard can serve approximately 15 people or more, depending on the size of the cake ordered. Some of repeating clients include Los Angeles Sentinel Founder, Danny Bakewell Sr., and former NBA basketball player Magic Johnson.
The celebration of her parents’ love came into many forms. The lime green Hamilton Beach handheld cake mixer would be the mark of a flavor-filled legacy. That baking tool came with its own recipe for fate, and it now sits as a motif in the Cakes by Chante mobile bakery. The mobile bakery will be available for catering weddings, baby showers, and general locations for different events.
The best way to taste Cakes by Chante is by calling the direct business line at 323-236-3210, by visiting the website, or by reaching out on Instagram, @cakesbychante and one can see Ms. Chante’s recipe for success by following her social media platforms.
In her transparency, Bernard explained that her newly established business endeavor began with selling her homemade cakes in the midst of transitioning careers. The new challenge in expanding her business reaches beyond her normal capacity of work, Bernard is dealing with a lot more than running out of baking pans. Even with her financial status in excellent standing, Bernard found it difficult to receive substantial banking resources, as a Black-owned business.
“I don’t mind working hard, in addition to this, I do have a full-time job.” Bernard said. She continued, “I want to talk about recent obstacles—going from a home-based business to owning this mobile bakery. Last year, I would say at the beginning of the pandemic—right around my birthday time, I decided I was ready. I’m ready to move forward with this, this is my passion.”
Bernard reflected on the spontaneity of human life, “COVID hit us all unexpectedly. We don’t know how long we are going to be on this earth, we do not know what is going to happen, and I thought you know what, I have to live my dream completely, I cannot keep wasting time. I work so hard if I put all the energy that I put into a nine to five—if I put more into my business, where could it be right now.”
