“You eat with your eyes, but it is the taste you will remember.”
This line resonated with Kelsey Fenton so much that it became the slogan for her business. The baker always had a love affair with cheesecake. But it took feasting on the most decadent slice to ignite her passion for making pastry.
“It was based on the restaurant called Guilt Trip. Their cheesecake had a hold on me, especially their tamarind cheesecake. That sparked my interest which went from curiosity to learning how to make my own cheesecakes. Trial, error, and many YouTube videos later, here we are,” Fenton explained to Food.
On her return to the island from overseas, the pastry enthusiast landed a job at a local bakery. But the experience was far from delightful. This further inspired her to branch out on her own and create a brand for herself. In April 2021, Fenton’s Pastry was born.
Starting out in her mother’s kitchen, one taste of Fenton’s Pastry macarons expanded the business into working with two major supermarket chains today.
“Our specialities include the best macaroons in Jamaica and artistic cakes. We offer custom cakes, brownies, a variety of cheesecakes, classic ganache chocolate cakes. You name it, we can bake it,” she added.
The self-taught chef has even been able to create new festive ideas like the Fenton’s Pastry Christmas Sorrel Cheesecake, eggnog cheesecake and recently launched Christmas collection macaron box that contained flavours such as candy cane, sorrel, coconut and Ferrero Rocher macarons.
Customers, she says, really love the innovation of their favourite treats and keep coming back for more, as a result. She attributes her positive reception thus far to the high-quality desserts and the warm and welcoming nature of her business.
Once a customer entrusts her with his or her vision, she sees to it that it becomes a scrumptious reality. “When it is time to create cakes, the ideas that were conceptualised merge with the mood of the day to create something that my customers keep coming back for. I appreciate them for trusting me with their visions. Clients rarely know what they want, but that is why they keep coming back. I offer the experience of a creative touch on their pastry desires. I bring the vision in their head to life in a way that is unique to Fenton’s Pastry.”
The collaborative process includes receiving the fundamentals of size, colour, flavour, and then it is up to Fenton to work her magic. All she requires is three to four days maximum for more difficult or technical designs.
Blessed to have created a business in the heat of a global pandemic, the entrepreneur is grateful for the opportunity to experiment and create tasty art. Her main focus is to grow and expand her business, with high hopes of one day having her own line of cheesecakes. “The reception has been very positive and shows me, I hope the people reading this will see, if they have a passion, now is the time to do it,” she said.
Follow the bakery on Instagram: @fentonspastry for more information.