Chip Brown baked his first carrot cake as a student at Howard University. To hear him tell it, he was simply trying to impress a lady friend.
Little did he know baking would one day help define his legacy. Today, Chip has perfected his carrot cake recipe and sells it in cupcake form alongside other flavors at his popular and award-winning Los Angeles bakery, Big Man Bakes.
Big Man Bakes is this week’s featured Black-owned eatery in the theGrio’s digital series, “A Taste of Chocolate,” now in its second season. In the episode, Chip sits down with host Shernay Williams to discuss his unlikely transformation from medical student to cupcake master, his take on pivoting careers, and, most importantly, his top tips for making flavorful cupcakes.
As fans of his delectable bakery know, Big Man Bakes sells an assortment of extra-large, or “XL” cupcakes, as well as an array of mini cupcakes, baked fresh every day. In addition to his now trademark carrot cake, other flavors include red velvet, caramel apple, double chocolate, and lemon.
A Taste of Chocolate: The Serving Spoon
In the digital series A Taste of Chocolate, host Shernay Williams takes us on a virtual road trip to visit some of the best Black-owned food businesses in the U.S. In our first season, we sampled food in the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C., historically known as the “Chocolate City.” This season, we head to the West Coast and explore Los Angeles to introduce foodies to four popular restaurants they should know. As always, each episode profiles a business owner’s entrepreneurial journey and takes viewers into the kitchen as we taste their signature dishes.
Learn more about Big Man Bakes’ “fresh, moist, fantastic cupcakes” and “A Taste of Chocolate” in the video above.
TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku, and Android TV. TheGrio’s Black Podcast Network is free too. Download theGrio mobile apps today! Listen to ‘Writing Black‘ with Maiysha Kai.