We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kevie White. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kevie below.

Kevie, appreciate you joining us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?

I would have loved to have started sooner. I have been baking on my own since I was six, literally all my life. Presenting goodies for all occasions and making new recipes to share and get input and feedback from family and friends. I married young, still married, and knew that if we were going to support a home and family we both had to share the responsibilities of getting there. Once we bought our home, we started our family. I was very lucky to stay home with our children and many of my nieces and nephews throughout the baby and school years. I baked for birthdays, holidays, school functions and any time a cookie or dessert was needed. I kept up the baking but never for pay. We talked about a bakery as a dream that one day would happen, but as we all know sometimes life happens while we are planning to make our dreams come true. I was in my mid-fifties before I sat down with my husband and talked about doing a cottage industry bakery. The costs were affordable and I could still work full time. I proceeded to establish Kevie’s Kitchen. I worked my regular 40 hr. job, attended classes, asked questions and baked evenings and weekends for my newfound business. While I was very tired much of the time lol, I was very happy and proud to have my own business and have many repeated and loyal customers. My custom cakes were a hit! I do Weddings, Anniversaries, Birthdays and everyday events. I bake cookies that people call for and always show up at vendor events to purchase and brag about. A few years ago, I was able to quit my regular job and make Kevie’s Kitchen my full-time endeavor. I am able again to spend time coming up with new recipes, sharing feedback and perfecting for sale. I have gone from an ”A” cottage license to a “B” which allows me to sell to distributors, markets, restaurants, etc. It is a dream to be where I am, and I am totally enjoying myself. But of course I always have those little thoughts about what if….What if I was 30 instead of 70, What if I had more time to perfect and grow…What if I wasn’t closer to retirement than starting a new career…What if my goal was the sun instead of the moon…What if…

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Kevolyn “Kevie” White and I started Kevie’s Kitchen in December of 2015. The name came from my dad. He was over one weekend sitting at our kitchen bar eating cookies fresh from the oven and said, “it sure is great to be sitting in Kevie’s Kitchen” and the name became my focus. I am a cottage Industry Bakery in San Diego. I do custom cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, decorated cookies and drop style cookies. I am constantly trying new recipes and learning or perfecting new skills with classes and practice. I work with my customers in styles, flavors and general needs. I offer consultations and tastings to give mor one on one. I always offer different cost ranges for weddings and events. We all have that spark of Champagne in our beer budgets, so I want everyone to feel comfortable with their decisions for those very important days. I keep my costs reasonable according to the cost of materials, not that it is a birthday cake compared to a wedding cake.
I worked at my full-time job and started out part-time evenings and weekends with Kevie’s Kitchen. I maintained this until about 5 years ago. After a long discussion with my husband, we decided to give my dream more time and care. I quit my job and set myself a work schedule for home. It has worked well for me with a bit of tweaking here and there. In 2023 I upgraded to a “B” License which allows for sales to restaurants, markets, etc. While I am still working towards this end, I have been learning about what I want to do and how much time I am willing to give to achieve. Seventy is much different than thirty, so I am taking it a bit slower.
Life changes constantly, so adapting is very important. It took a while to learn that I did not have to do everything! I could say no and not feel guilty. Believe me, I am much happier not obsessed about a cake that I am uncomfortable doing or a cookie order due in 24 hrs. Always doable, but too stressful to be a normal thing. I have found that yes, some days will be busier or more stressful than others, but you still need to enjoy what you do. It took me many lessons and years before I finally learned this and had it stick, unfortunately it was not too long before my 70th birthday. I hope you all have as much fun doing what you enjoy as I do!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

In 2020 I have a Cottage Industry Bakery. I had been working a 40-hr. job and doing my baking evenings and weekends. I have just recently gone full time at home, having quit my full-time job. I have been busy and have had many inquiries for custom cakes and desserts, so this is my next step. Then the Covid Scare hit in March, everyone had to cancel weddings and large events. Orders that had been placed were canceled or drastically reduced. I had 6 large weddings scheduled for April-June already placed and deposits given. They were canceled or made into a dinner with immediate family celebration. A cake for 150 went to a cake for 10. I returned most deposits as the fault was not theirs and I could not in good conscious keep the money. For 2 full years I never made a cake bigger than 6 inches. It was heartbreaking and devastating to us and our budget. I took many small orders and a few office events. I made cookies and cupcakes for the Police and Fire Departments and sent over offerings to the Doctors and Nurses at our local hospitals to say Thank ou and to keep my skills active. Your family can only consume so much. Their thanks and encouragement always made the time and money spent worthwhile. In mid-2022 things slowly started opening up again. Since then, things have improved, Vendor events, open markets, company events, weddings, and family events have all become daily occurrences. Wonderful to see everyone back together and celebrating special events with friends and family.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me the most rewarding is the smiles. I always love seeing my customers faces when they receive their cakes or cookies. The smiles the eyes light up…the moment never fails to make me smile and even tear up at times.
The faces of the children whose cakes I do every birthday and the parents who I did the wedding cake, shower cakes and children’s birthday cakes and cookies that I get to share in each year. At a vendor market where the cookies are picked up and deemed too beautiful to eat but they clutch them like a prize to take home. It is always a joy to see. And then the calls or texts saying thank you for the delicious cakes, treats and desserts. You can hear and see the smiles knowing that you made a special moment in their lives. For me that is something to cherish and save.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.kevieskitchen.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevieskitchen
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/kevieskitchen
• Yelp: https://yelp.com/biz/kevies-kitchen-san–diego

Image Credits

Danielle White Photos