from scratch
JOCELYN DELK ADAMS
AGE: 34. LIVES IN: Bronzeville. CLAIM-TO-FAME: Author of Grandbaby Cakes: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories, which reached best-seller status on Amazon last month; food writer and photographer; and creator of Grandbaby-cakes.com.
YOUNG PROTÉGÉ: Delk Adams first stepped into the kitchen when she was just 5 years old. “As I got older, my dad would pick me up from high school and take me to the grocery store,” she says. “I could get whatever I wanted and come home to make dinner for everybody.” RAISING HER VOICE: “By the time I started my blog in 2012, there was a healthy amount of food blogs, so I knew I needed to have a personal voice and be distinctive in a niche that would set me apart. So I thought about bringing in the history of all the recipes [from my family] and giving them a modern twist.”
THE TOME: Delk Adams’ book, Grandbaby Cakes, shares 50 cake recipes, all inspired by her family. “The majority have their own twist and then there are a few classics, like my mom’s 7 Up pound cake, which was the first cake I ever baked.” UP NEXT: Having her own TV show is on Delk Adams’ bucket list, but she’s toying with the idea of a second book. “A lot of people think of me as a baker, but I have savory chops,” she says. “It would definitely still have the base of family and traditions, but done in a funky, remix way.”
SWEET SPOTS: “I love Formento’s [925 W. Randolph]. They have this incredible brunch right now,” she says. “I also love [Mindy’s] HotChocolate, [1747 N. Damen] — I’m a big Mindy Segal fan.” Grandbaby Cakes: Modern Recipes, Vintage Charm, Soulful Memories, $13.65; Barnesandnoble.com