Bloom Where You Are Planted

story by ROBIN COKER           photos by SUSAN DELOACH

Jessica Kent, wife, mother to three, and founder of Bloom Custom Cakes, is here to remind us that it doesn’t matter where we came from but that we can undoubtedly bloom where we are planted.
Jessica met her husband, Charlie, on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, on a blind date. They married six months later, and the rest is history. She is a proud mama to three “big people now!” Her son recently commissioned as a marine officer. Her husband pursued his career as a golf professional. Jessica and their children followed, setting them on course for the beautiful traveling adventure that would eventually place them here in our tight-knit coastal community of Beaufort. If you ask Jessica why she loves it here so much, she will gush about how it is “authentically charming, not contrived, a true gem of a small town and an amazing community.”

If you happen to check out Jessica’s social media, you will find hundreds of beautiful original pieces of art — in cake form, of course. Having always loved to bake, her first “original cake” came in the form of a clown, on the back of a baking dish, “because that’s all she had.” She wanted to create a gift for her daughter’s fourth birthday (you can find that on there, too). Years later, she was drawn to follow her talents. She was “that mom that went over the top at every birthday,” pouring her love language out to bring joy to her children in the form of a cake that would always bring them together. A self-taught baker/decorator, she worked in various bakeries along the way, honing her craft and discovering a genuine love for the art of cake making. Jessica has become one of our town’s most sought after wedding bakers and is currently booked into 2022, serving and bringing joy to more than eighty weddings this year alone. Jessica says, “I stumbled into the career of a professional baker by accident. I was offered a job at a bakery on Hilton Head seven years ago. I was handed a piping bag and haven’t put it down since.”

Bloom Custom Cakes was formed out of the desire and drive to create a custom cake business for all occasions. She saw the need, and with the support of her husband, Charlie, and some real faith and fear, she started her own home-based business. Her daughter even created the Bloom Custom Cakes logo, and the original sketch hangs framed in her studio. With no marketing budget or professional advertising, Jessica has managed to harness the power of social media and word-of-mouth referrals. Her commitment to delivering a quality product with outstanding customer service has grown this business more than she ever thought possible.

Starting a business as a woman can often be scary and even a bit unconventional, given the recession we had just gone through. She was up to the challenge and has shown up every day to make it happen. She credits the small town connections and immense love and support of our strong female leaders in the community to her current success. “I couldn’t have done this anywhere else, this quickly,” exclaims Jessica. Blooming where you are planted is the Kent family motto, however, Beaufort has made it much easier to grow. Being surrounded by other talented and brave women has given her the wings to grow and flourish. One thing Jessica is very passionate about is supporting other women in business. If she cannot fill an order, she will suggest another baker she knows can fill that need for the family. “Together we are stronger, together we achieve more, and ultimately when we work together, we serve our clients better!” Advocating for other women in business is a very important value in her code of ethics. “If it wasn’t for these amazing women who stepped up and told me I could do it and shared my abilities with their network, I wouldn’t be able to show up and serve in the way that I do.”

Starting out hitting the streets with samples and cold calls, she managed to make some magical connections that opened doors to add value to our community with her ability to transmute her love language into a tangible art that brings people together. “When I first started, I would just show up with cupcakes for various event planners and members of the community to try, and those cupcakes opened a lot of doors!” Being present in “cake form” at any celebration that gathers family and friends brings her immense joy and gratitude. “Cake is always at the center of milestones and all the moments that we cherish and remember in life. No matter what is being celebrated there is always a cake that ties it all together, and I get to contribute to that moment in such a special way.”

Jessica can be found most days either delivering her cakes to wedding venues or working in her custom-built baking studio right in her backyard. Eighty percent of what she bakes is for weddings, however, she has a big heart for serving our military families, whether it be for retirement, promotion, or whatever they need. And Beaufort is just the right place on the map to be able to deliver in this area. She feels it an honor and a privilege to be able to contribute to these milestones of service.

The majority of her business is destination weddings. With the drastic changes to the hospitality industry due to COVID, Jessica has found the space and ability to be more present in our local community. “With so many not being able to travel or having big life celebrations canceled, they still had the option to gather and celebrate around a cake. I stayed busy throughout the entire year. I also was able to bring some cheer to our essential frontline workers in cupcake form. Working with and supporting our community has been a silver lining during this difficult time.”

If Jessica had one piece of advice for women starting in business, YES is scary, but it’s not impossible. “Just do it. If you have the product, the idea, the passion, and the drive, if you can bring value and serve others, there is more than enough room for you to bloom where you are planted.”