Today we’d like to introduce you to Candis Quinn.
Hi Candis, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love for being in the cooking started in my youth watching my grandmother prepare meals for the family weekly. I was inspired to become a chef after a visit to L’Ecole Culinaire School on a date night, educator turned master chef, I decided to enroll, thereby perfecting my skills for cooking and catering. Taste Buds Meal Prep was established in 2017 and quickly became one of Memphis’ premier meal prep businesses, serving over 100 meals weekly. While still maintaining a full-time role as a celebrated educator for 14 years, my business won the coveted Best in Black Award for Best Meal Prep business and graduated from L’Ecole.
In 2018, I made my first Taste Buds creation, a marble flavored cake in the shape of a number ‘5’ for my little cousin. From there, Taste Buds orbited into the world of cakes and desserts after receiving numerous requests from customers all over. 2020, a pivotal year and , was the biggest turning point for me. I decided to move from part-time baker to full-time entrepreneur, opening Taste Buds Catering and Sweets in the Oak Court Mall in the summer. 2021.A true success from the start, Taste Buds garnered a bigger name for not only cakes, but cookies, brownies, muffins, even the fan-favorite Spinach Dip and Buffalo Chicken Dip! Also have cake classes for children and cake and sips for adults.
Taste Buds is now in the process of moving to bigger and better, offering event space, classes, and space for customers to tickle their taste buds every day through our first brick-and-mortar shop coming in the summer of 2025.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the biggest obstacles yet was the decision to leave from being a full-time educator to pursue full-time entrepreneurship.
Secondly, transitioning from a mall-front to a brick-and-mortar building. This has been the hardest, most challenging journey, but the opportunity it provides will not only aid in more effective production, but it will also give Taste Buds the opportunity to grow through offering classes, hosting events, and creating one-of-a-kind cake toppers and other baking needs.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
• Custom cakes, including birthday and wedding cakes
• Private, one-on-one classes and group classes for kids and adults
• Premier cake-and-sip events
• Full Catering needs for all event sizes
• Meal Prep
• Floral and balloon decorations
How do you think about happiness?
What makes me happy is when I can make my clients’ day, making their dreams come to life. Every day, I get to create that’s where my joy is. The fact that on any day of the week, my cake creations spark happiness and enjoyment in every part of the city and surrounding areas. From Downtown Memphis to Cordova, there is someone celebrating life events with an exclusive Taste Buds cake creation.
Pricing:
- Cupcakes- $35.00
- Bento Box- $100.00
- 8in cakes -185.00
- Heart Shaped cakes- $150.00
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tastebuds901.shop
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tastebuds901?igsh=MWQ1Z2E2N202bDd2aQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/164b18o1FR/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Other: https://bakesy.shop/b/tastebuds901
