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by People’s Minister of Information JR Valrey, SF Bay View editor in chief
Art can be expressed through any medium, but some of the artists who are neglected the most in our community are the bakers, who can make people’s tongues dance with treats that melt in their mouths. Kayla Watson is a young Oakland mother who gained a love for baking while growing up with her grandparents, and when the pandemic hit, she contemplated turning her hobby into a business.
After a slow start, Kayla Watson became the go-to baker for her friends’ children’s birthday parties. When you look at her creations, it is unimaginable that she made these goodies in her house, instead of at some world class commercial facility.
Instead of just going to the big supermarket’s bakery section to get our cakes and party goods, we have bakers in our local neighborhood who can fashion you a unique design, instead of something generic like what the stores will give you. You might want to look up the work of Kayla Watson before you plan your next party. Check her out in her own words.
JR Valrey: When did you discover your love for baking? Who were you inspired by? What do you use to cook?
Kayla Watson: I was inspired by my grandfather and grandmother when I was younger and my grandfather used to watch me when my mom went to work.
He would make this pecan candy. It was made with pecans and prunes. He would melt butter and add brown sugar, until it was caramel like, then he would add the pecans and prunes,cook them until they crystallized, then added them to a baking pan lined with parchment paper, to let it cool. Then break it up like a brittle, and we would sit, watch tv and eat them.
I would watch my grandmother make apple turnovers. Those were my favorite things. We used to watch her making the crust from scratch and how she would use a small plate and knife, to cut out the shape for the turnovers. I liked seeing her peel the apples, she used to do it with a knife, she was so smooth with it. My grandparents were the best.
When I was 8, I started off cooking breakfast. Then when I was a little older I started baking cupcakes for my school. I used to watch cake wars with my mom and all of the baking shows on food network; that also got me inspired. When I worked at the Oakland airport, I used to bake cupcakes and 7up cakes for them just to bring a smile to them. It always makes me happy when someone tastes my food and has something good to say. That’s what motivates me to keep going.
JR Valrey: When did you turn your love for baking into a business?
Kayla Watson: I turned my love for baking into a business when I went on leave from work, and that’s right when the pandemic happened. I didn’t want to sit at home doing nothing, so I made the decision to start baking. I made my daughter’s birthday cake and her birthday cupcakes, and they actually turned out pretty good.
Then my best friend wanted me to make her son’s birthday cake, cake pops, and strawberries for his birthday, and I did that as well. Then I made some baby shower favors for her as well, so that’s what kept me going. As soon as I started posting that, then everybody started asking me to make their cakes, so basically I’m self-taught. I’ll get some of my ideas from YouTube. If I’m having a hard time, I watch it at least once or twice and then I put my own twist to it.
JR Valrey: When did you turn your love for baking into a business?
Kayla Watson: I started off with little bake sales, and then I was also making dinner plates. So when everybody started to see that, they gave me a little business, but I started noticing that just making dinner plates wasn’t making me enough money, so I just decided to completely do baking,because everybody loves some goodies.
Everybody was still having birthday parties so they would ask me to make them birthday cakes. So I was doing that, it started off a little slow, but then the more I progressed, and the more I started perfecting my cakes, my cupcakes, my chocolate covered strawberries and cake pops, my business actually started to boom, which was surprising because of the pandemic. I get frustrated but I keep it going, and it’s what I want to do. Hopefully one day I can open up my own shop and do it like that.
JR Valrey: What kinds of things do you bake for your business? What are the crowd favorites? Why?
Kayla Watson: I normally just do birthday cakes or cupcakes or I do like little party favors like chocolate covered strawberries, cake pops, banana pudding, cheesecakes, and I do pound cakes. But my specialty is just birthday cakes, theme cakes, and a lot of people love my cupcakes as well – and my cake pops, they say, are pretty good so that’s what I do best.
JR Valrey: What kinds of ingredients do you use?
Kayla Watson: I use a whole lot of butter and powdered sugar, regular sugar flour for my cakes. I normally do like a chocolate drip so I use a lot of chocolate, and also with my cake pops I use chocolate. And when I make banana puddings, I use a lot of bananas, milk and a lot of eggs.
JR Valrey: How would you describe the taste of your baked goods?
Kayla Watson: I get a lot of feedback saying they can taste the love, like they know I cook with a lot of passion, because not only does it look good but it tastes good as well: a taste of home. I hear a lot of people say my icing is the best, like it’s the best part of the cake.
Then the second thing is that my cake is so moist, they always wonder how I can get it so moist. My cheesecakes they love as well. And my banana pudding. I hear some say they don’t even like banana pudding, but mine was the best they ever had, like it feeds their soul, and that’s what keeps me going.
JR Valrey: How do people find you? Do you do pop-ups? If so, where and when?
Kayla Watson: I have instagram which is Kays_tasty_treats.
Facebook: Kay’s tasty treats and plates.
I also have a have a website: https://kaystastytreats.godaddysites.com/
I do not do pop-ups just yet, but I plan to in the future.
JR Valrey: How could people see your selection and order your products?
Kayla Watson: My website and instagram will be the best way to see the selection I have and order anything. Those are our main resources people use.
JR Valrey, The People’s Minister of Information, is the Editor in Chief of the SF Bay View. He is also the instructor for The Community Journalism Program which is funded by the California State Library.
