Meet Michele Cooper | Pastry Chef/Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Michele Cooper and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michele, let’s start by talking about what inspires you?
I have always been inspired by my paternal grandmother. My grandmother was an entrepreneur back in the 1940s when it was unheard of for a Black woman. My grandmother taught me how to bake and inspired me to become a pastry chef. The legacy that my grandparents left inspired me to follow their footsteps to create and maintain generational wealth

What should our readers know about your business?
Kayleigh Michele’s is a family owned and operated custom treats business.

We set ourselves apart because everything on our treats is edible. We have mastered sugar art and use state of the art printers that allow us to print on edible sheets of sugar.

I’m most excited about creating generational wealth and to secure the future of my granddaughter, Kayleigh.

My story is a lemons to lemonade story. My daughter, Kayleigh’s mother, was hit by a drunk driver and it left my daughter an amputee. I am originally from Washington DC and came to Dallas to help my daughter during this very tragic time. I shared a bedroom with my then infant granddaughter and I used to stay up nights wondering what I could do to ensure her future at a point when my daughter’s (Kayleigh’s mother) future was uncertain. At that point I had been a pastry chef/baker for over 10 years and decided to build my wings on the way down. I immediately relocated to Dallas and started Kayleigh Michele’s in 2016. It wasn’t an easy task but I was motivated by love and concern for my family. I engaged my family and we set out to start a business that could sustain us. Business started off slow and I gave out more product than we were selling because I was confident if I could get my treats into actual mouths – we would be set and we were! We were off and running and began seeing the fruit of our collective labor and then COVID hit-yikes. At the time of COVID our business was thriving and debt free. COVID definitely crippled us but I never lost sight of my goal and we were able to sustain the business during the pandemic by executing drive by parties, offering no contact deliveries and packaging our items individually. I took on a part time job to supplement our income and with God’s grace we made it through.

The greatest lesson I have learned is to never give up! I know that is a cliche but its true. During the darkest financial times I was steadfast and remain focused. Seeing my daughter adjust to her new life as an amputee and the courage she displayed gave me incredible strength! God is never failing.

What I want people to know about my business and my family is that we are a living example of perseverance. No one is exempt from life’s tragedies and you must decide what to do when life gives you lemons. At Kayleigh Michele’s we decided to make gourmet lemonade with a cupcake on the side!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my friend was visiting there are certain places they have to go.

Monday – Water Aerobics @ Margaret Young Natatorium
Tuesday – Dinner and Drinks at Snowbirds in Frisco
Wednesday – Glass Blowing Class at Dallas Glass Art
Thursday – Flower Arrangement Class at Eataly Dallas
Friday – Outdoor Movie Night in Addison – Vivturian Way
Saturday – Rangers Game
Sunday – Dinner and Wine at Goat and Vine Plano

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Lillian Blackwell, my paternal grandmother, Preston Blackwell, my father and my granddaughter, Kayleigh Michele

Website: www.kmeventservice.com

Instagram: @kayleighmichelesevents