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Freshly Baked by Audrey shares a taste of Christmas

Published:Thursday | December 3, 2020 | 12:09 AMKrysta Anderson/Staff Reporter
Meet the talent behind Freshly Baked by Audrey’s great sorrel and fruit cake, Audrey Harris.
Meet the talent behind Freshly Baked by Audrey’s great sorrel and fruit cake, Audrey Harris.
Freshly Baked also brews, selling delicious Jamaican Sorrel.
Freshly Baked also brews, selling delicious Jamaican Sorrel.
Above: Christmas fruit cake will be sold all-year round.
Above: Christmas fruit cake will be sold all-year round.
A slice of heavenly fruit cake from Freshly Baked By Audrey.
A slice of heavenly fruit cake from Freshly Baked By Audrey.
Fruit cake and sorrel is the perfect combination.
Fruit cake and sorrel is the perfect combination.
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It’s beginning to taste a lot like Christmas, and bringing that characteristic holiday flavour to palates everywhere is Freshly Baked by Audrey, with home-made sorrel and fruit cake.

Baking and cooking from the age of nine, Freshly Baked by Audrey’s Audrey Harris recalls the days of ringing in the season with sorrel and cake alongside her Aunt Lena. “Baking is absolutely fun. Everyone in my home had their own duty to fulfil. I remember one of my first duties was greasing the cake tins. It was a time when everyone spent quality time together,” she told Food.

Christmas is Harris’ favourite time of year and the self-taught baker passed down this rich family tradition to her Harris-Foster household. Spending decades practising and perfecting her recipes and techniques, she only uses products and ingredients of the highest quality. It is this winning combination that resonates with family members, friends, and now customers.

Her sorrel is a special concoction. It is not too sweet, truly refreshing on impact, and can be enjoyed on its own or with other Christmas delights. But it’s her fruit cake that stars as the mouth-watering highlight. From its moisture and texture to its delicious flavour.

It was Harris’ daughter, Rick-Ashley Foster, who came up with the idea of turning this yearly custom into a business. “I have always baked and sold to friends and family, but nothing as official as this. My daughter decided to expand and add some structure to my existing side hustle. She organised a photo shoot with my products, and even launched social media pages to help me grow my online presence,” she stated proudly.

Since opening this year, the reception has been amazing. She is beyond happy to share her decades of hard work with people, and it brings her so much joy to follow up with her customers after they have received the products and hear the satisfying reviews. “My husband is an executive chef, so I have been able to work closely with him to create a smooth system for Freshly Baked. Since I have started, my husband and children have all worked alongside me to prepare orders and get them out to our customers.” Rick-Ashley facilitates the Kingston deliveries, while the others focus on in and around Montego Bay.

No major challenges

With a few hiccups here and there, Harris hasn’t experienced any major challenges. The only issue of note is getting the products to persons living overseas. “We have had countless people reach out, asking about shipping to the United States and Canada. However, we have yet to finalise a safe and affordable shipping option to get our products into the international market.” She hopes to rectify that soon.

One might think that when the season ends this entrepreneur will close shop. She is actually planning to do the very opposite. The plan is to have the sorrel remain on a seasonal basis but provide the amazing fruit cake all year round, and introduce other delicious treats to customers. “I believe people should purchase from Freshly Baked because our products will always be handcrafted from scratch with plenty of love!”

Freshly Baked by Audrey offers both delivery and pickup. For more information, email freshlybakedja@gmail.com or follow @freshlybakedja on Instagram.

krysta.anderson@gleanerjm.com