We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Queneesha Meyers a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Queneesha, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

Years ago I came across an organization called Distributing Dignity. They provide bras with tags and feminine hygiene products to homeless women. I decided to support them by having an annual fundraiser at my store to help serve those homeless women. My store is located on a very busy street in Albuquerque. There is a large homeless population in this area. I never really thought about the additional challenges a homeless woman faces until I discovered this organization. Since 2014 we’ve been able to hold our fundraiser yearly even through the 2 years of the pandemic. I’ve been recognized by The Wall Street Journal for my efforts. We’ve expanded the efforts by partnering with several organizations throughout Albuquerque to distribute these items and we’ve even had large sponsors like Dillards provide undergarments for these women.

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

I started baking when I was about 10 or 11 years old. My grandmother had a bag of flour with a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I took my allowance and got the remaining ingredients and would bake for kids in the neighborhood. In 2009 I started Q’s Cakes and was renting a commercial kitchen space and baking on the weekends. In 2013 Albuquerque the Magazine featured my red velvet cheesecake and cupcake bouquet in their mother’s day guide and my phone wouldn’t stop ringing. That same year I was voted a top 5 bakery although I didn’t have a physical bakery so in 2014 I opened my storefront.

I tell people we make desserts from scratch with a whole lot of love and that’s what separates us. I believe in using the best ingredients and I touch everything that leaves my store in some way, shape or form. I’m always thinking of new and creative recipes to set me apart from others. I created a line of “comfort food cakes” where i take sweet comfort foods and make them into a cake form. I have close to 30 of them. My cakes have been featured on the Food Network, PBS New Mexico, Good Morning America, and will soon be on Carnival Eats. Some of our most popular ones are our red velvet cheesecake. our Churro, one I named the Michael B Jordan and our biscochito.

But what I’m most known for is giving back. Our store has provided fundraising opportunities to several organizations and schools in Albuquerque. We’ve provided funding that has helped the local Jr chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers which in turn has sent young people of color to college. We’ve also supported Safe House which helps domestic violence victims and I’ve been a chef twice for the March of Dimes’, Signature Chef Auction. Because I’m the owner, I’m able to use my business to bless and help others in ways I probably could not have if I worked for someone else. I believe my bakery is a ministry in how it is able to be a blessing.

I’ve since branched out into the movie industry. I was a stand in for Kim Whitley, and Queen Latifah. I was able to do cakes and desserts on sets of several films and tv shows filmed here in New Mexico. My bakery has won numerous awards locally and online and we’ve been featured in magazines like Party Style and several others. I continue to motivate and encourage by doing speaking engagements and offering mentoring services as well.

Do you have any stories of times when you almost missed payroll or any other near death experiences for your business?

In October 2020 I left to film the Great Food Truck Race in Alaska. I scaled down the day to day and just had 2 employees working on some contracted stuff we had. This was in the middle of covid but I felt it was a risk worth taking for the exposure and the possibility of winning the money from the show. Our team made it to episode 3 and was eliminated. I was crushed because I wanted to win so bad but was also grateful for the experience. After going into quarantine and looking at things, the business had barely enough to make payroll. I immediately sprung into action and started marketing and promoting for Thanksgiving. We were able to get the sales we needed and get back on track. Had I stayed on the show through one more episode, I wouldn’t have been able to keep the store open.

Alright – let’s talk about marketing or sales – do you have any fun stories about a risk you’ve taken or something else exciting on the sales and marketing side?

My background is in instructional design. I did training for the Air Force and Sandia National Labs. January is a slow month for the store due to people trying to get healthy but I needed some money to keep things moving. I decided to use my training background to offer some decorating classes. At the time, unicorn cakes were popular so I posted a class for it. I remember sitting at the store because it was slow and my phone kept pinging with notifications from people purchasing the class. It sold out in 2 hours and I had to add another one right away and that one sold out soon after. I remember calling my assistant manager and crying because it was so needed at the time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.qcakes.com
• Instagram: @qcakes
• Facebook: @QsCakes
• Twitter: @QsCakes
• Yelp: Q’s Cakes and Sweets Boutique

Image Credits
John Quinones, Queen Latifah, Marie Yniguez, Bria Meyers, Honey Chavez these people are in the pics