About

Very few things remain constant in life. But for me? My faith, my slight obsession with the color pink, and of course, my love for baking have always been there. When a food allergy threatened to take that away in 2020, it sparked a passion in me and a firm belief that everyone deserves a piece of cake, and a dietary restriction should not get to determine that.

The Start of the Entrepreneurial Bug

My entrepreneurial journey began long before I even knew what the word entrepreneur meant. Growing up, my parents had a rule for me and my older brother: we had to purchase our first vehicles ourselves. 

Pretty daunting for a 10-year-old, right? All I knew was that I loved to bake, and I was going to need a lot of money. So, when I was in fourth grade, I started “Chloe’s Sweets” where I sold sour cream pound cakes, chocolate chip cookies, and brownies. I spent my summers walking door to door, carrying large baskets of sweets to sell to businesses in my two-red-light town known as Ocilla, Georgia. It was entrepreneurship at its finest! (And, yes, that door-to-door selling helped me buy my first car!)

How a Mixer Inspired a Rebrand

Chloe’s Sweets stayed alive throughout the rest of elementary and middle school, and after finally receiving my very own KitchenAid mixer,

I decided it was time to take baking more seriously (the mixer crew has now grown to 6 mixers...they all have names and are a part of the Cake it with Chloe family, in case you were wondering.). In April of 2019, I created new social media pages for the business and began posting time lapse videos of me decorating cakes. The videos felt like you were right there making the cake with me, which was the inspiration for Chloe’s Sweets to become Cake it with Chloe for this new chapter of the business. 

I continued posting my cakes on social media, and soon, the first official Cake it with Chloe orders began pouring in. But just as things were really taking off, I started experiencing some unexplained health issues that tried its best to slow me down. 

Gluten-Free? Wait, What?!

After a nine month journey of countless doctors appointments and tests, I was diagnosed with a severe gluten allergy. Giving up foods you love is hard at any age, but at 16, it felt devastating knowing I couldn’t even enjoy the cakes that I baked. That was not a piece of cake—literally. 

Living in rural South Georgia meant the gluten-free options available were pretty much non-existent, and a world without being able to enjoy my favorite desserts was not one that I wanted to live in. Come to find out, there were so many others like me who were unable to enjoy a piece of cake because of a dietary restriction. I knew early on that Cake it with Chloe had to be about more than just decorated cakes, so I began offering gluten free alternatives and held tight to this belief that everyone deserves a piece of cake. 

From Cakes to Cake Mix

As with most entrepreneurial journeys, mine has been a series of pivoting to fill a gap in the market. I knew that I was passionate about helping everyone enjoy a piece of cake. I just wasn’t sure how to make this happen…until it hit me at midnight, in my college apartment sophomore year: “What if I can make a gluten-free cake mix? And make it taste delicious?” Let's be honest, if you’ve tried anything gluten-free then I am sure you understand the struggle. 

Since that night, I became obsessed with figuring out how to make this work (somehow the entrepreneurial bug will do that to you). No, I didn’t have a food science degree. I had no experience in product development. In fact, I had no degree because I was still in college! But what I did have is a strong desire to care for the customer, and a little persistence always helps, right? 

For months, I ran trial after trial, asked endless questions, and kept believing that this would work. 

I kept going because I know the stories. Stories from friends who feel left out at the dinner table. Couples who struggle to find a piece of cake to enjoy on their wedding day. Parents who want their kid’s birthday to be celebrated like everyone else. I didn’t want those stories to continue.

Just seven months after the idea hit me, I cannot tell you how excited I was to hold the first bag of the Gluten Free Homemade Style Vanilla Cake Mix, vegan alternatives available so that you can have a piece of cake your way.

It Takes A Village

Being from a small, rural community, I have heard the phrase “it takes a village” more times than I can count—and it’s true! It really does take a village. 

A big part of my village comes from the Georgia FLEX program, a Shark Tank style entrepreneurship program for high school students. When I made the last minute decision to turn in my application for the program during my senior year of high school, I had no clue it would be one of the best decisions I had ever made. Through FLEX, not only did I learn how to take control of my business by learning finance, marketing, and sales skills, but I fell in love with entrepreneurship in the process. For the first time, I could see that entrepreneurship IS a viable pathway for my future and that Cake it with Chloe did not have to be a simple high school hobby. 

What began as a simple love for baking has turned into far more than I could imagine. It truly takes a village to bring a business dream like this to life and I am so grateful for mine.

Thank you to the mentors, professors, friends (also known as the designated taste testing committee), and everyone else who has believed in, supported, and encouraged me throughout this journey. Thank you for helping someone who once believed they were just a small town kid with big ambitions know she is much more than that.

I believe there are a multitude of things to celebrate in this life, and it goes without saying that a celebration should include cake. 

Whether it’s your birthday, the first day of your new job, or a Tuesday that calls for a sweet treat, I hope this cake mix helps you celebrate with everyone gathered around your table. So, go ahead. Add a cake mix or two (or more!) to your cart and choose to celebrate.

And to little Chloe, we're still doing it -- we still love to bake and are still slightly obsessed with the color pink. Hold on tight because you're in for a fun ride. 

Because everyone deserves a piece of cake.