SWEET BITES FROM KENZO
Kenzo Jar Bites is set to transform the confectionary industry with the opening of their new Cake Studio. Located at Block 3 Industrial, the Cake Studio officially opened today.
And one of the products that they are slated to offer their walk- in clients is a delectable serving of Orange Poppy Seed with a luscious Cream Cheese Frosting. Not overly too sweet, and just right for those who like to indulge in sweet treats, this is just one of many servings that will be on their menu. Besides catering for walk- in clients, the Studio will also cater for clients who want to place orders for one of the many stunning cakes that the company is best known for. Kenzo Jar Bites is owned by Keneilwe Monthe. In 2019, when she was transferred from Maun to Gaborone, Monthe took a leap of faith, and decided that it was time for her to return to her first love which has always been the Confectionary world. But above all, she credits her big sister for spotting her talent, and supporting her entirely to see this dream come alive. Her sister went as far as investing some capital and getting her equipment’s, and ingredients to officially start her off. Inspired by one of her favorite Chefs namely, Anna Olsen, she credits her for learning by watching her many shows in order to learn the tricks of the trade, and how to bring concepts from paper to practical. “Her baking is totally different from all the other chefs. In fact, she is the one who made me fall deeply in love with baking. I would watch her on Food Network, and then I would practice her recipes and they always came out perfectly,” says Monthe. Officially, she started to fully operate Kenzo Jar Bites in July of last year with the support of her sister. The name Kenzo was the idea of her sister, which is derived from Kenz, a nickname that one of her friends used to call her. “I am very passionate about baking. And when I finally decided to do it fulltime, I wanted to devote my time to doing something that I love,” she says. She also notes that she specializes in all types of sweet treats including pastries, birthday, baby and bridal shower cakes, muffins, cupcakes and cheese cakes to mention a few. Currently, she has a staff compliment of two, and is looking to expand in the future. The idea to open a cake studio was necessitated by the fact that working from home is not very easy. Secondly, when you do that it is not easy to see if you are making profit or not, and the fact that sometimes you borrow ingredients from the family groceries also did not help. She wanted a place where her customers can freely walk in, see where she works, and interact with them. Soon, the customers will also have a chance to sip on a cup of tea or coffee while they enjoy their freshly baked goods. Sharing a bit about what makes her unique from other bakers, she says that it all comes down to the ingredients that she uses, which all build up the tastes that one can only find at Kenzo Jar Bites. One of her speciality cake happens to be the Caramel cake, which she explains is a decadent piece of heaven. “My clients also love our carrot cake,” she adds.
Besides these two, clients can also look forward to other products such as the Double Black JD Whiskey Chocolate Muffins topped with Kinder Bueno Chocolate Drizzled with salted caramel sauce. Asked on how business is going so far, she explains that so far so good. Besides Anna Olson,
she also watches a lot of other baking shows, and is always ready to get new skills. A workaholic, she notes that when she is not baking, she is properly watching cooking shows on Food Network. “I also read a lot, and follow a number of bakers online,” explains Monthe. When it comes to taking orders, she says that she studies patterns that her clients bring, and is always ready to recreate that particular design to the T. And in some instances, she will be very open with a client and tell them that she can’t make a design. While some of her competitors are in the industry because of lack of jobs, for her it is a different story. She is doing what makes her heart sing. Already, she is fully booked for the month of February, and even in March she already has bookings, which is testament to her ability to turn dreams into realities. “When you are baking, you need to have passion; that is very important,” she explains.