^ I Support Local Community Journalism Support the independent voice of Phoenix and help keep the future of the New Times clear. Baking used to be just a sideline for Jennifer Keys. In 2013, the Phoenix native lived in Natchez, Mississippi, where she worked as a senior decontamination technician at a power plant. In her spare time she did some hairstyles, some design work, craft projects. She had taken a two-day baking class years ago when she was in her early twenties and had occasionally baked for friends and family, which was spread through word of mouth and on social media. She called herself Sugar Queen. Eventually she sent a power plant contract back to Arizona and her childhood memories came back. She moved to Phoenix and started building her cake business from scratch in 2019, posting her creations on Facebook groups and putting flyers under car windshield wipers. The Chic Chef Marketplace Grand Opening Cake The Sultry Confectioner Nowadays Keys is called The Sultry Confectioner. It’s an online bakery that offers gourmet cakes and cookies, as well as baking classes. If you stopped by the recent Chic Chef Marketplace opening, you might have spotted the sleek multi-tier cake keys made for the occasion. The result was greatly enhanced by another grand opening she baked for shortly after arriving back in Arizona while she was still passing by Sugar Queen. “The cake started to melt during delivery and even more so when I started stacking it,” recalls Keys. “I was so embarrassed that I left crying.” This harrowing experience actually turned out to be a coincidence. The event chef noticed her talent for developing flavors and contacted her for future collaborations. Orders were received. “Baking helped me develop character and get rid of my bad habit [of procrastination]“Says Keys. “In this area you have to take your time for things that can and will go wrong. I started my career doing last minute work and ended up with some dissatisfied customers whose money I had to refund. ”Sugar Queen could bake, but she was a last-minute cake maker with no business knowledge, Keys says. The sultry pastry chef does things. It revolves around luxury cakes and gourmet products. She’s even won some high profile clients: comedian Jessica Moore aka Jess Hilarious; Hip-hop musician and rapper Roxanne Shanté; and Supa Cent, CEO of cosmetics brand The Crayon Case. Keys is currently baking in her home kitchen. You can see her lovely multi-tiered pies on her Instagram page. In addition to large cakes, the website offers other articles: cakes in jars, cake mixes, biscuits, baking courses as well as business branding and marketing. She recommends trying the Sun Kissed Turtle Milk Chocolate Cookie, which is made with caramel, pecan, milk chocolate chips, and sauteed butter. Except for the big cakes, she sends everything nationwide. Caramel Turtle Sunday The Sultry Confectioner Keys also offers a variety of baking classes. For a fee that varies from $ 25 to $ 40 depending on the course, you can join their private Facebook group and learn techniques from their videos (45 minutes to 1.5 hours). She will soon have a link to these courses on her website. Keys also offers one-on-one virtual lessons for $ 175. Here she provides a list of the ingredients the customer would buy and teaches the course on Zoom. Finally, she also offers private lessons. Customers get all of the ingredients, baked cakes, lunches, baking tips, websites where Keys buys their supplies, and a question-and-answer session. The course takes about three hours and costs $ 350. Cake tastings are possible on site. Those who do not live in Arizona but get married here receive cake tins for tasting at home. The cakes are made to order. Advance notice of two to three weeks is required. Visit the website to place your order. Shortly before saying goodbye, Keys revealed an exciting secret to us. A stationary bakery is in the works. Follow her Instagram page for updates. Keep Phoenix New Times Free … Since we started Phoenix New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we want it to stay that way. We offer our readers free access to concise coverage of local news, food and culture. We produce stories about everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with bold reporting, stylish writing, and staff who have won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists’ Sigma Delta Chi Feature Writing Award to the Casey- Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with the existence of local journalism under siege and setbacks in advertising revenues having a bigger impact, it is now more important than ever for us to raise funds to fund our local journalism. You can help by joining our “I Support” membership program which allows us to continue to cover Phoenix without paywalls.
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