Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nikel Chism. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Nikel, thanks for joining us today. Naming anything – including a business – is so hard. Right? What’s the story behind how you came up with the name of your brand?

When I was thinking about what to name my business I didn’t know exactly what to call it at first, I definitely needed something that would be different that nobody had. There’s a lot of people who have the nickname “Nikki” and I had to think of what I would want people to feel when eating my desserts and that’s when I came up with Nikki’s Delights. I am a Christian and the scripture Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of you heart.” is my foundation for my company.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hello Everyone! my name is Nikel (Nih-Khel) also known as Nikki and I am the owner of Nikki’s Delights. I’ve always been a creative person, I actually thought that I was going to make a living doing hair specifically working with natural African American hair. I loved to braid and I was really good at it but unfortunately the long periods of standing and nerve pain I would get in my body became too much. In the year 2020 I was looking for something that I could do that would allow me to be creative and would bring some income into the home. During that time I had been off of work for over four years due to health issues and by this point in my life and I had been trying to find ways to help my husband with some of the costs in the home. I go on Youtube a lot to see what new things people are doing, I love watching cooking and baking shows and one day I came across someone making cake pops and that’s where my fascination really started. When it was time to get ready for the babyshower for my godson we were trying to figure out the dessert table because we wanted cakepops and rice krispie treats but the cost for the quantity didn’t match to me I felt like they wanted too much for not a lot of product so I volunteered to make them myself. When it came down to it they weren’t as great as they could have been lol I definitely needed more research and development but I really enjoyed the process and decided that I would continue to practice and now 4 years later here I am. My husband (who’s incharge of quality control; eating the defects) my family and my friends who support me are the ones that really push me and keep me encouraged. Whenever I say I’m baking they’re right there to put their order in. I don’ t do cakepops as often now although they were the gateway to how I got started people in general are more like to purchase a cake, pie, cookies etc on a day to day basis vs cakepops which are more for parties and events. Because I have found this out I have since then been inspired to do other desserts such as my brookies which are a brownie and chocolate chip cookie baked together. Sometimes I do them with Oreos or with nuts it depends on what the customer prefers. I also have coffee cakes, which are really good too I call it “old school coffee cake”, and there’s my mini peach cobbler bundt cakes that have peaches and a crumble on top, I call it the PCB for short, and my cookies and brownies. I also have other desserts that I plan on introducing soon as well. I believe that when you put your all into something and truly care for each order no matter how big or small that it makes a huge difference in the end product. People can tell when you’ve put real time and effort into providing quality work vs just not caring. I’m a caring person at heart and so in everything I do I want people to be able to feel that no matter if its through an interaction or them trying my desserts. I am most proud of the work that I’ve been able to do in spite of the trails that I’ve had to face and overcome over the past few years. The end of 2023 going into 2024 have been very challenging. I’ve had to face things I would’ve never imagined and have had to handle while still being a mother and a wife. No matter how overwhelming things can be at times God is still good and His mercy is everlasting, I am very thankful for what I have been able to accomplish and I know that I am just at the beginning.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I am currently in a season of my life where I am trying to pivot and bring balance to my life. I am a mother of a two year old, married and an active member of my church. I was doing really good with sales my biggest event of 2023 was an event my church funded and produced called Praise in the park and then at the beginning of October 2023 my dad was diagnosed with stage four cancer and they didn’t think he was going to make it. The end of 2023 I spent the majority of my time visiting him in the hospital and helping him at home. The biggest thing was trying to figure out how to manage life and what I know God has given me and many times I thought it was the end for my business because I just couldn’t find the time. Eventually I started trying to find spaces in my routine where I could bake and get an order in without overwhelming myself. Plenty of times I’ve packed my supplies and brought them over to my dad’s and have baked just trying to stay consistent and not let all of what I have put into my business just go to waste. I’m thankful for his support in even what he’s going through, he can’t have a lot of sugar but he has a taste every now and then.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

A lesson that I have had to unlearn is that I can’t do everything no matter how hard I try sometimes I have to say no. I am the oldest of three and I have always made sure that I made myself available for everything and everybody and that has effected me in a lot of areas in my life. Some times when I get an idea to do a sale and can’t get it done because something came up and I don’t have the time to do it and not put out a subpar product then can feel bad because I’m used to having to get things done and getting them done well. So I’m working on being okay with not being able to show up and do everything not everything is for me and what is for me I won’t have to overexert myself to complete the task.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @nikki_delights.socal
• Facebook: Nikki’s Delights
• Other: @nikkisdelights/ TikTok