The idea was born in 2016, but Candice Meade didn’t know it yet.
“We had just finished building our house and more than anything I wanted a kitchen that I could really entertain people in,” she recalls.
So she got her dream kitchen in her dream house in Shady Spring and started making it.
But as she looked around, she decided he was big enough for other things too.
“I started thinking, ‘I have the resources here,'” she says. “I have the space and the equipment I need. Maybe I can do some restoration.
She was looking for a change, anyway.
After more than a decade in real estate – buying, selling and renovating – the mother of two wanted something different.
“I was exhausted,” she says. “I had been injured. I had both hips reconstructed. Life suddenly changed and I decided I wanted to try doing something I was passionate about.
His true passion has always been to create.
“My mother always wanted me to do something artistic like have a gallery,” she recalls.
Meade, a 1998 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School, had been selling her paintings as well as pencil and ink drawings on the side for years.
Restoration wasn’t quite like painting, but she says it gave her a chance to create.
And it didn’t take long before she got a cake request.
“I thought, ‘Huh. Yeah, I can do that,'” she said. “I think it all started with carrot cake.”
Soon she was cooking more than she cooked.
“People started asking me more and more,” she says, explaining that she eventually decided to end the catering portion of her offerings and focus on cakes.
She already knew how to cook, but researching techniques opened up a whole new world.
“I really had no idea of the possibilities with that,” she says. “I fell in love and realized that it was really a great way to be passionate and enjoy not only the culinary aspect that I love, but also the artistic and beautiful side that I love.”
Meade’s cakes have grown in size and detail since this carrot cake.
It was word of mouth at first, but then Facebook and Instagram really helped her take off.
“In a small town, news travels fast,” she says.
As she became involved in baking, she spent more time researching.
She was sure of her decorating abilities, but she was committed to learning the art of baking.
“It was the most high-end, traditional techniques from the old world,” she says. “Just pure pastry. Pure butter creams.
Through trial and error, she perfected French and Swiss buttercream.
Then she turned her attention to the macaroons.
This, she says, is where she really stood out.
“Even down to the fruit compote which is fresh fruit balanced with flowers and/or herbs and such,” she says. “I try to use the purest ingredients and refine them to be unique and high quality.”
Although time-consuming and difficult to make, macarons have become one of Meade’s best-selling creations.
“There’s nothing cheap or quick about it,” she says of the process. “Either you do it right or it sucks.
“I love that about it.”
Meade always makes those simple requests like a birthday carrot cake, but she’s often busy creating intricate, tiered wedding cakes with hand-drawn designs.
“I call it a canvas on a cake,” she says of her hand-drawn designs. “It’s the icing on the cake for me because I can draw.”
It also allows him to customize on a different level.
“I like to make people realize that the reason I’m doing this is because I really like creating something original that people can receive and appreciate in their special moment,” she says. “It’s one of a kind and represents that special occasion, whether it’s a birthday cake or a wedding cake.”
I’m going
Five years after officially launching Posh Manna Cake Art, Meade is still working in her kitchen, but is aided by her 20-year-old daughter, Chloe Craddock, and new assistant Derick Drafton.
Chloe not only assists with the creation, but also helps manage Meade’s social media and website, through which orders are placed and wedding tasting appointments are scheduled.
Although her cooking has served her needs so far, Meade has her sights set on something bigger.
“I’m looking to start a boutique hotel in Beckley,” she says, explaining that her bakery operation would move when it opens.
“A lot of good things are happening and things are really looking up for Raleigh County and southern West Virginia,” she says of the reason for her plan. “There is so much potential.”
She has big plans for it and says it’s moving forward but she’s not ready to reveal too many details just yet.
In the meantime, she is simply focused on providing the best possible service.
“You’re only as good as your last cake,” she said.
I’m going
Meade asks those interested in ordering custom cakes or other desserts to visit www.poshmanna.com.
She asks that orders for intricate cakes be placed about 2.5 months in advance and says that weddings are booked four to six months in advance.
Posh Manna also offers specials for parties.
This year’s Christmas menu will include Swiss Yule logs and three choices of macaroons – chocolate mocha, holiday spices and pistachio – sold by the dozen. For more information, visit Posh Manna online.