Today we’d like to introduce you to Da’Maria Hodges.
Hi Da’Maria, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Da’Maria Hodges and I am a 29 year old pastry chef from Charlotte, NC. Unlike most people’s upbringing, I didn’t grow up baking in the kitchen, I more so watched it on television. I absolutely adored the Food Network as a child and would watch it faithfully afterschool. My favorite show was The Food Network Challenges, and every episode had me in awe. Each episode consisted of talented chefs who would work independently or in teams to create the most beautiful pieces of edible art I’d ever seen. From gorgeous sugar show pieces, show stopping chocolate sculptures, and jaw dropping tiered wedding cakes, I just knew this was going to be my future career path. By high school, I couldn’t decide which specific culinary field I wanted to hone in on and then I discovered a pastry chef. They are well rounded in all sweet and savory aspects and I knew immediately this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. After graduating high school, I enrolled at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte, NC. I received my Associates of Applied Science in Baking & Pastry Arts and my Bachelors of Science in Food Service Management. Since college, I have worked in hotels, restaurants, catering companies, and finally my own business. Made For You CLT was born during covid out of the need to stay sane during lock down. And what better way than baking. As of today, we a are custom scratch made dessert company that specializes in gourmet items that suit any and all sweet needs. Our mission is to always deliver more than expected to our clientele. This seven year journey has taught me so much as a business owner and I continue to learn more about the industry everyday. Being a pastry chef and connecting people through dessert has always been my passion and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
As a business owner, there were a few challenges I faced when building my brand. Some were simple like recipe development, growing a client base, and finding my space in markets. The biggest challenge I faced in the beginning was trying to figure out where to start. It was very overwhelming because I had to decide on every little detail such as the logo, what specifically we were going to sell, when to post content, who was my targeted audience and etc. These were the minor obstacles we had to face early on in order to get where we are today and I couldn’t be any prouder of the end result.
As you know, we’re big fans of Made For You CLT. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We a are custom scratch made dessert company that specializes in gourmet items that suite any and all sweet needs.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
My favorite apps are tik tok, instagram, and pintrest. I love apps that show any and all baking/ decorating content. I enjoy it not only for inspiration for my business, but it’s also very relaxing watching someone decorate a cake or cookie. I love and and all baking books.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.madeforyouclt.com/
- Instagram: madeforyouclt
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madeforyouclt/
