Single mother turned to baking as means of empowerment

Jan 22, 2023 News

By: Vanessa Braithwaite Moore

Kaieteur News – The saying, “a woman falls only if she wants to”, is most fitting to describe young Linden mother of two, Tameka Smith. Smith is the proud proprietor of ‘La crème de La crème’, a cake and pastry business operating in the mining town of Linden. Realising that the onus was on her to provide for her children singlehandedly, the idea was birthed to commercialize her baking skills.

Tameka Smith

Her baking skills were developed at the tender age of 13. “I was 13 and my mother would take me to Georgetown to spend time with my cousins. We went to ‘brownies’ and that’s where my cousin and I baked with other young ladies and it became a hobby on weekends; baking with my mother in the kitchen,” she reflected.

With cost of living skyrocketing, Smith did not want to be another statistic or to be dependent on handouts, she believed that turning to her hands, could alleviate the economic quandary her household was facing. In May 2021, ‘La Crème de La Crème’ was birthed, by providing weekly pastry and cakes which targeted particularly busy parents looking for snack options for their children. Almost two years later, the business now provides a service daily and has expanded by catering for events. Some of her signature products include cheese cake, plantain quiche and chicken puffs.

Some of Tameka Smith displaying some of her products

“God help those, who help themselves,” she said. Tameka has taken her favourite quote very seriously, and despite the challenges of starting a business with little financing and resources, she believes that with faith, once the effort is made, everything will fall into place. Her mission is to continuously improve on her quality and marketing strategies. “I’ve become more focused and will be collaborating with other entrepreneurs in order to help with networking. I truly love what I do and my fear of not succeeding has been outdone by my passion to never let failing be an option,” she said. Her goal is not to be stagnated but to own a physical snackette within five years. She sees herself as being one of Linden’s preferred cake and pastry chefs as well as establishing a world-class catering company.

Given that her reason for being an Entrepreneur was to provide for herself and children, she is very passionate about training other single mothers and providing employment for them as her business grows. Her advice to those who may be struggling financially but don’t have the means to be employed, or, maybe do not have a baby sitter or a support system, is to start a business remotely, so that they can earn in the comfort of their own home. “Do not be reluctant, think of ideas and work towards them, pray, seek advice. The satisfaction you experience when you are able own your own business and provide a service to your community and country is overwhelming,” she says. Those interested in her catering services can contact her on 625-7448.

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