The K Kakes Cakery in South Orange, New Jersey, offers Jamaican baked goods and American baked products with an added Jamaican flair. The full-service café and bakery features plantain tarts, patties, soups and breads while including traditional American cakes and cinnamon buns. Diners are offered Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee and fresh juices to accompany their food choices. The café and bakery was inspired by “KK,” the daughter of owner Danya Mowatt. She took some baking classes and told her mother that she wanted to open a bakery, and the idea stayed with Mowatt. Beginning small by selling baked goods only to her family and friends, Mowatt expanded K Kakes to an online bakery. It became an official café in March 2018. Mowatt defines the mission of K Kakes as introducing the community of South Orange to Caribbean flavors. She says she wants everyone “to taste what Jamaica is and has to offer.” All the items on the menu are made from scratch on site, with particular attention to flavor and quality. Mowatt designed the café’s interior as well, seeking to educate visitors about Jamaica’s history. The rustic walls of the main dining area are painted “a Caribbean blue” so that visitors will feel like they are in Jamaica. The lounge area includes a selection of paintings of cultural highlights and significant events by popular Jamaican artists, Mowatt acknowledged that the café is a draw for students from Seton Hall, and she is open to hiring them. Student Kaliyah Inswood, a Jamaican senior with a major in biology, is excited by what K Kakes is offering the community. There are no other Jamaican restaurants in South Orange, and diners are eager to try real Jamaican pastries. Mowatt hopes to create new signature dishes in the future and to establish relationships with students and community residents.

Source: The Setonian