Kelsie Mellott, owner of Hey Honey! Cakery loves to experiment with unusual flavor combinations, such as jalapeno cheesecake, made with cheesecake filling and jalapeno jam. While that may sound strange, many of her customers have raved about the taste.
“I enjoy creating different things,” Mellott said. “We sell unique cakes.”
Mellott opened Hey Honey! Cakery, located in Furys Ferry Station at 229 Furys Ferry Road, Suite 129 in Martinez, on Jan. 29. But before that, she ran the business at home for eight years while also working as a stay-at-home mom.
Before becoming a cake artist, Mellott had a completely different career as a medical assistant. She always wanted to go to culinary school, but her mom encouraged her to pursue a career in the health care field instead because it would be easier to find a job.
Mellott earned her medical assistant certificate but quickly discovered working with patients wasn’t what she wanted to do. She left the profession to pursue her true passion.
“I’ve always enjoyed baking,” Mellott said. “I started baking again and never stopped.”
While she specializes in baking and decorating wedding cakes, she also sells other desserts, such as cookies, muffins, and lemon bars.
Mellott also bakes cakes for other occasions, such as birthdays. She was recently asked to make one in the shape of a Georgia Bulldog, something she had never done before and wasn’t sure she could do correctly, but the customer was happy. She even had the opportunity to make the cake for Las Vegas Raiders offensive guard John Simpson’s wedding.
But she still creates traditional wedding cakes for couples who order them. Many of her customers know what kinds of cakes they want, while others tell her to be creative and surprise them. Mellott tries not to turn down requests, no matter how unusual they are.
“If you say no, you can’t grow,” she said.
Mellott rebranded the business with its current name in 2018 and has a unique story about how she developed that name.
She was talking through some possible names with her husband and asked, “Hey honey, what do you think about…?”
Before she could even finish the question, Hey Honey! Cakery was born.
Mellott said what makes Hey Honey! Cakery different from other bakeshops is its nine-person catering staff that cuts and serves wedding cakes.
She also delivers them to out-of-town weddings, primarily in Georgia and South Carolina. Mellott once delivered a cake to Ohio, her farthest trip so far.
Like many other business owners, she has struggled to find employees, particularly cake decorators, because it’s such a specialized skill. Besides herself, she has five employees who work in the bakery and help her through the busy wedding season, which typically lasts from March to December.
“We can have four or five weddings in a weekend depending on their size,” Mellott said.
For more information or to order a cake, visit heyhoneycakery.com or call 706-496-3971.
