“Flour and Flair” was one of those feel-good stories of Aloha in our Sunday West Hawaii Today.
Da Cake Lady: you need to subscribe to read the full article, but subscription is fast and free. Some excerpts:
Kailua-Kona resident Stephanie Charlton began her cake ministry six years ago after being impressed by the service she received at the Kona Post Office.
“I vowed in my mind to bring them a huge delicious cake as a token mahalo,” she said. “Well, that one gesture on that one occasion launched my cake ministry, which now serves Kona and beyond.”
Charlton delivers cakes to about 30 organizations, as well as 30-40 individuals, and she mails cakes to the mainland. The fire department, police department, post office, First Hawaiian Bank and car dealerships are just a few of the organizations who have the opportunity to taste her confectionery treats.
Many times people get upset or frustrated because Charlton won’t let them pay her, she said.
“I feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing with my time. I’m happiest when I can contribute something to the life of another person,” she said. “Just to walk in a room and see their faces light up when they see the cake is worth it.”
About every other week Charlton goes to Costco to stock up on supplies. Although she said she doesn’t know exactly how much she spends, she would estimate about $300 or $400 a month. “But it’s not about money,” she said. “It’s about serving and uplifting people.”
“I’m happy to be doing it, I’m happy to be in Hawaii and I’m happy with this time of my life,” she said. “Whether it turns commercial or remains a ministry, as long as I’m able to make cakes, I will.”
I hope this will inspire you to reap this kind of wonderful, heartfelt recognition and appreciation from your own customers. Wouldn’t you love to be a Kona business that can say, “Oh yes, we’ve been visited by Da Cake Lady.”
If you do subscribe to West Hawaii Today to read the full article, take this link for the write up on my son Zach’s Saturday football game too. Between Zach and the UH volleyball games I was truly in sports mode this weekend.
But now I’m thinking about the last time I baked a cake … it’s time for me to be the customer that says thank you too.