Meet Monét Walker of CakesAndCurls in Inglewood

Today we’d like to introduce you to Monét Walker.

Monét, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have literally been around food my whole life. I come from a long line of self-proclaimed cooks (both sets of grandparents and my parents). While all the grandchildren played outside, I was always the one in the house cooking with the adults. The first items I learned how to cook were scrambled eggs and homemade french fries. I developed my passion for cooking very early at three years old. I have fond memories of my paternal grandparents teaching me how to make banana pudding and cantaloupe pie and my maternal grandparents cream puffs, gumbo, and praline.

My parents tease me now describing my “bug eyes and wide smile” look of awww when we would go to buffets. My dad loves to tell the story of how I would grab a plate with tomatoes, cucumbers, pepperoni, and croutons and let it swim in Italian dressing. Something then told them I just might become a Chef. During my senior year of high school, I entered and won first place in the Future Chef of America Culinary Scholarship Competition hosted by the California School of Culinary Arts (CSCA)-Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, California. I sealed my fate and graduated from CSCA in 2006. Since then, I have worked in numerous hotels, schools, and restaurants such as The Crowne Plaza LAX, The Queen Mary, Hudnall Elementary School, The Lazy Dog Cafe, etc. I have also run a home-based catering and baking business for the last 13 years and will officially be opening a storefront this summer with my Momager and Bestie Juanita aka Mama CakesAndCurls called CakesAndCurls in Inglewood, CA. I specialize in private chef home services as well as in savory, sweet cupcakes and cakes, but am skilled in baking a variety of pastries and cuisines from all over the world.

Alongside my longtime passion for cooking, I love children. In 2004, we loss my cousin Brianna to a rare form of rectum cancer. She was only seven years old when she passed. I made a promise that I would dedicate my life to helping other children who are suffering from cancer and decided to go back to school to receive another degree. In 2017, I received my second degree in Human Services from the University of Phoenix. Since then, I have been in the works of starting a non-profit providing Baking Therapy to pediatric oncology patients. Dedicating my time to both of my passions has inspired me to not only give back but to make a difference in this world in more than ways than one.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There is a famous quote and mantra that I try to live my life by… “Remeber it takes twenty years to become an overnight success”… I try to remember that on days where I question my purpose and how I am serving the world. I have found that more than anything, it is important to do what you love and love what you do so that work never feels like work. My path has definitely taken some wild, unexpected turns and I have considered switching paths multiple times but somehow, someway I always find myself back in the kitchen. In an age where social media has taken over the world, it can sometimes be difficult to see the good in yourself when there are so many others like you who share the same vision and how society’s opinions are based on likes and the number of followers one has rather than their talents. I still maintain it is quality over quantity,

In this business, I have also struggled with getting my storefront open. It takes a lot of patience and thick skin to open up a restaurant/bakery. There are so many loops and hoops one has to jump through to be able to get open dealing with permits, setbacks, inspections, etc.

Please tell us about CakesAndCurls LLC.
CakesAndCurls was officially established back in 2013 when I joined Instagram. I had a late start joining the platform and was told my name needed to be something clever. My name came from the fact that I bake cakes and my hair was curly. At that time, I never thought my brand would take on the name and I would stick with it. I always imagined my bakery would be called something else. We specialize in private chef home services as well as liquor cakes, cupcakes, pies, cookies, anything baked (wedding cakes included). My family is from New Orleans, Louisiana so we also work with the traditional pastries such as Doberge cake, Beignets, and Praline. We also specialize in traditional New Orleans favorites like Shrimp n Grits, Gumbo, Blackened Fish, and Jambalaya.

I am most proud of the experiences and opportunities I have been afforded over the years, I have many clients who have challenged me to create foods from multiple cuisines. What sets us apart from others is our passion for the culinary industry and creating individualized attention to detail for our clients. We treat our clients like family.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My favorite childhood memory is being in the kitchen with my grandparents. They truly laid the foundation and were my mentors and the reason why I am the Chef and Woman I am today. My Paw-Paw Gene taught me to make banana pudding, Mama Shirley taught me Cantaloupe pie, Granny Jane taught me scrambled eggs and potatoes, Granny Velm, spaghetti and sweet potato pie, and Paw-Paw Ronald, red rice.

Contact Info:

• Address: 8455 S. Van Ness Ave.
  Inglewood, CA 90305
• Website: www.cakesandcurls.com
• Phone: 310-382-7714
• Email: monet@cakesandcurls.com
• Instagram: cakesandcurls

Image Credit:
Wiz Khalifa, Nipsey Hussle, CakesAndCurls LLC

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