GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — When the coronavirus put a halt to events at the Georgia Governor’s Mansion in the spring, long-time mansion employee and pastry chef, Carolina Bimonte had to find a way to continue to cook.
The Lê Cordon Bleu AS Graduate has been baking up cakes, cookies, and desserts at the Governor’s Mansion since 2014, originally being brought on under former Governor Nathan Deal. She then continued to work for mansion when Governor Brian Kemp stepped into office in 2019.
Bimonte said that while she looks forward to returning to the mansion in the future, she decided to begin baking from her home. The pastry chef then posted her selection of sweet treats to social media pages.
“I did one post in a group in Gwinnett County Facebook group and within just a couple of hours, I had 60 inquires and 8 confirmed orders,” explained Bimonte.
The Lawrenceville resident said she already has an Instagram account and is getting ready to launch a website for her at-home baking business which she will be calling ‘My Sweet Vanilla’, after her dog.
Furloughed chef continues to create
The veteran chef says that while she’s enjoying being able to work from home, she is looking forward to returning back to the Governor’s mansion for future events. As far as what the future holds for her at home business, she said she's remaining innovative.
“You don't know what next week will look like so I'm always trying to think ahead to what people will want. People will always want to eat and want dessert. You just have to get creative and market yourself,” says Bimonte.
To learn more about Bimonte's business and custom orders, click here.
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