Today we’d like to introduce you to Amber Morris.
Hi Amber, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’ve been baking since I was a little girl. My great grandmother and I would spend every weekend making something delicious for family…. Or just because we were craving. When the pandemic hit, it was a great time for me to just get back to what I loved, baking. At the time, I was a caregiver for my great grandmother, so she was my official taste tester up until her passing that May. During the time of her passing, my eldest brother was diagnosed with cancer and in the midst of also supporting him on his journey, we talked a lot about goals, and dreams, he even played taste tester for me when he felt up to it until his passing in October of that same year.
The passing of my great grandmother, my favorite person, and my brother, my personality twin, sent me into a sadness I wasn’t prepared for after entering the year with such optimism. I found joy in doing the things that I liked to do with them: watching our favorite movies, dancing to music videos, and you guessed it, baking! I baked constantly! Trying to nail old recipes and creating new ones filled my time when I wasn’t teaching. Baking felt like home. The flavors, felt like being transported back to my great grandmother’s kitchen in Southwest Baltimore where life hadn’t quite changed so drastically yet. What was so amazing, was that it wasn’t just that way for me, my baking did the same for my entire family. So I started sharing with friends, and they felt the same! So I knew that if our hearts were touched and some parts of us were mended by this culinary experience, I wanted to share that with others, thus became The Taste of Home Dessert Company where we bring you back home with every bite.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Some initial struggles included building my own recipes, finding what worked and actually felt like home. Our family recipe box was lost (I’m still grieving this) so, I was working from memory. To add, I
felt that if I was going to sell a product, everything had to be from scratch, so the trial and error of creating the perfect pie crust, the perfect cake bases, the perfect frostings, and fillings that didn’t feel commercial but like a home style dessert was a feat.
I’d additionally add that because I started off as a baker of home style desserts, I was very much a holiday baker. I love being a part of family events, but really having sales for Thanksgiving and Christmas didn’t really yield a sustainable business. Adding custom cakes and cupcakes to the The Taste of Home Dessert Company experience has not only helped my business, but I can be a part of more family memories: birthdays, proposals, family reunions, weddings. It’s really a joy to be a part of people’s families in this way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The Taste of Home Dessert Company is a bakery built on love and family. I specialize in home style desserts that transport you back to your grandmother’s kitchen, custom cakes and cupcakes that help you celebrate new milestones, and cake experiences (think cake and sip) that bring together friends to get creative, make new memories, try something new and have a sweet treat of your own design!
The thing that makes The Taste of Home Dessert Co. so special is not just the commitment to quality desserts made from scratch but the commitment to each family we serve. Every dessert that leaves this kitchen, has been thoughtfully curated with not only your event in mind, but the milestone that is being celebrated, and the edible experience that is being created.
I am most proud of the commitment to the brand as we grow and take on new ventures. My dessert experiences are inspired by my family, they are even named after my family or a tradition we have so it was important to me for it to remain representative of them. The market may be saturated with all the new hype but The Taste of Home Dessert Co. is about family and you feel that in every experience where you encounter our delectables.
What does success mean to you?
Success to me is a returning customer. If I am now your family baker, I have won! Beyond that though, success is creating something you’re proud of, and the customers were delighted by the experience. Doing this over and over is what really defines success. Money is great, but fundamentally, developing a great product, that people find value and joy in, will get you where you want to be.
Success is also defined by making your people proud. Whoever that is for you, make them proud. I have to take the quick moment to thank my husband, family, and friends for being so supportive! From being taste testers, brand promoters, clean up crew, and sometimes even event staff, You all are my inspiration and I wouldn’t be successful without you all!
Pricing:
- Pies Starting at $30
- Cookies Starting at $20/ Home Dozen (14 Cookies)
- Classic 3 Layer Cakes Starting at $60
- Custom Cakes Starting at $100
- Custom Cupcakes Starting at $30/ Dozen
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @TasteOfHomeDessertCo
- Facebook: The Taste of Home Dessert Company
