Faronda Davis is the Black woman behind Florida’s sweetest dessert bar, The Cake Drip. Located in Tampa, the company is a spinoff of a kid’s cooking school she and her husband created in 2008 called ABC Chefs.
“We started the kids cooking school when my daughter, who’s now 18, was five. When she turned 18, I thought it was time to do something a little grown and sexy,” she tells Travel Noire.
The family created The Cake Drip and with so much love and support in the community, it’s hard to believe the Instagrammable dessert shop was just created in early 2021.
“When I created the space, I wanted to have a place that is always picture ready from every corner of our shop.”
But the space is more than a photo-op.
It’s a whole vibe from the moment you walk in. From good music and complimentary champagne, you can also decorate desserts and indulge in a good time. That vibe is why it’s one of the hardest reservations to get in town.
“I’m just happy everyone loves it,” Davis says in response to the support. “I’m happy that everyone’s open to it and loving the whole atmosphere.”
Making Room In A Community That Doesn’t Want Them There
The Cake Drip was recently in the spotlight after closing shop for two weeks due to a viral video showing a woman physically assaulting Davis.
The team has been calling on the property managers, Hyde Park Village, to do more to make Cake Drip employees feel safe so this never happens again.
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“This has been going on since March when we moved in as the first Black, female-owned business in Hyde Park,” says Davis. “Everyone is not used to our presence, and we stay authentic to who we are.”
Davis says the interactions with one particular tenant, who has now been charged with battery, started over music.
“The area that we’re in was empty and since we launched, we have the most foot traffic and business. [Some of the tenants] want things their way and if it’s not their way they have a problem with it. It started with music, but we went over and beyond trying to fix that issue even though it’s not in my lease. It came down to a point when [some tenants] literally came out and said, ‘It’s not the music. We don’t like your type of music.”
The Cake Drip team has looked to the shop’s landlords for help with their safety, but says they have not done much to assist.
Despite the incident, Davis says she’s trying to focus on the positive and keep people inspired.
“I feel like the African American culture has endured so much. And I feel like this is so much bigger than myself, my husband, and my daughter. We were the first Black owners here but we don’t want to be the last. We hope to open up doors for more and we don’t have an option to walk away. I’m not saying that I’m carrying my whole community, but I feel like my job is just bigger than Cake Drip.”
Davis continues, “I want people to feel like they can start something and stand up for it. Even if it gets shaken, keep standing up for it until you get exactly what you want out of it. We’re not stopping. We’re not closing. We’re going to keep building and we’re going to keep the music going.”
The Cake Drip is expanding as Davis has just opened a location in St. Petersburg. She plans to add locations in Miami and Orlando in 2022.