Dedra Simmons walked away from the pharmaceutical industry to become the owner of a successful bakery.
Simmons now leads Pookie Crack Cakes in Chicago, IL, alongside her husband Doug. Her dream of owning a bakery manifested at the age of six when she would bake from the comfort of her grandmother’s kitchen, the Chicago Reader reports.
Throughout her life, Simmons baked at home for special occasions and during the holidays. Plus, encouragement from her family helped her business grow. Her brother, Shundell Johnson, firmly believed in her cakes, and she said that he would “go door-to-door to different businesses, beauty salons, barber shops, and he would sell the cake,” according to the outlet.
In doing so, Simmons said it attracted more customers in her direction.
Before opening her storefront in July 2023, she ventured to nearby restaurants to sell her cakes. Now, thanks to her storefront, people are flocking to try Pookie Crack Cakes, which offers sweet treats, including her signature butter pecan praline cake.
“That was the only flavor that I made for four years, from 2014 to 2018,” she explained to the outlet.
Now, the bakery sells more than eight cakes in flavors, including strawberry lemonade, chocolate Oreo, red velvet, caramel, and key lime. The shop also sells specialty cakes, including the peach crack cobbler, available exclusively on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and the Pineapple Paradise cake, which can be purchased on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
“I do a peach-flavored cake and then a homemade peach cobbler sauce with the peaches, and I smother it all over that cake,” Simmons said, per the Chicago Reader. “That is also a fan favorite.”
Pookie Crack Cakes’ formula appears to work, as the bakery sells 600 cakes daily.
“In the morning, there’s always a line,” Simmons told the outlet. “Then, once that disappears, they come in increments. It’s like when you see one person come to the door, you’ll dip down to pull a cake out the case, and [then] it’s six or seven more customers in the lobby.”
Simmons also shares her success with other nearby businesses, allowing them to sell their products at the bakery. For example, her brother sells his lemonades at her shop.
For those looking to support Pookie Crack Cakes, the address is 105 E. 47th St, Chicago, IL 60653.
