Tawanda Higgs-Harris wants to bring a new type of business to south Augusta, which is why she’s launching her own bakery and catering company in that part of town.
Higgs-Harris plans to celebrate the grand opening of Infinite Delights Baking, Catering & Event Space at 2906 Peach Orchard Road, the former home of The Philly Cheesesteak Factory, in early January. She will serve not only desserts, such as cakes, pies, cupcakes, and cookies but also breakfast and lunch items, including omelets, bacon, hamburgers, and chicken wings. Higgs-Harris, who gives up all animal products for Lent each year, also plans to offer vegan and gluten-free items.
“Pretty much anything you can get on the regular side, you can get on the vegan side,” Higgs-Harris said.
She also plans to provide catering services and rent out her business for events. Higgs-Harris has owned and operated Infinite Desserts out of her home since 2010, but she has changed the business name to reflect its other services.
She began baking as a child and has honed her skills over the years. After establishing her bakery business, she earned a culinary arts diploma from Helms College. On Friday, Higgs-Harris held a soft opening for family and friends. She said her most popular desserts include red velvet and key lime cakes and cupcakes.
Preparing to open her storefront certainly hasn’t been easy, thanks to inflation and supply chain issues. Rising food costs and the difficulty of finding materials have posed significant challenges for her.
“It has its ups and downs,” Higgs-Harris said. “We did the majority of the labor ourselves.”
Her husband, Gerald, who works as a contractor, is helping her to prepare for the grand opening. He will also help her run the business, but she’s in the process of hiring more staff members. Finding a location with reasonable rent was also difficult.
“We looked at several buildings,” Higgs-Harris said.
While she’s no novice to running a business, getting ready to launch her storefront hasn’t been stress-free.
“The fact that I have a building makes me nervous,” Higgs-Harris said.
For now, Infinite Delights will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. After 3, the building will be available to rent for meetings and other events. For more information, visit the business’s Facebook page.
