Schantel Maxine Neal grew up with a grandmother who baked using whole ingredients, and who created meals and desserts from scratch.
Her new business, Maxine Baked, is a nod to that childhood, a promise that the confections will be homespun and delicious.
Based in the Hope & Main commercial kitchen in Warren, Maxine Baked specializes in desserts and special-event cakes. Neal sells a variety of sweets, including cupcakes, at the Blackbird Farm farmers markets as well. Since COVID-19 struck, she has focused on special orders, including cakes for private weddings and small parties.
Although she is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, Neal is self-taught in baking and decorating skills. Her cakes are made with whole ingredients and topped with buttercream frosting. “It’s like you would make at home, but I make it pretty,” she said.
In the next few months, Neal plans to adapt more of her Bahamian grandmother’s recipes for the Rhode Island palate. Look for coconut tarts and pastries made with pineapple, grated nutmeg and clove.
Mary MacDonald is a PBN staff writer. Contact her at Macdonald@PBN.com.