Any Day Desserts

Any Day Desserts, LLC

By Terry L. Watson - Photos by Sereena Key

There is something about a good slice of cake. If it’s sweet, then it’s good. Yet, if it’s made with love and compassion, then it’s probably delicious. That is exactly what Sereena Key of Any Day Desserts, LLC is doing in Grand Prarie, TX.

Sereena says that Any Day Desserts are homemade sweet treats that people love, and will fall in love with after that first bite. “This happens because I make it all with love. I take something that can be bought in stores and make it myself. Things like cake flour, buttermilk, caramel sauce, fruit toppings, honey, pie crust, caster sugar, and frosting are all homemade by me. Because I take the time to make these items homemade makes a big difference in taste. Currently I operate a home-based business for now and only take local orders from customers that can pick them up. I do offer delivery for orders that are $15 and up, and within 15 miles from my address for a flat fee. Anything over 15 miles would be a little more in pricing. I also have desserts for vegans and for diabetics,” she says. How did Any Day Desserts, LLC begin? “I love finding new things to discover about myself. One thing that I just discovered is my passion for baking. This is something that I do without hesitation, and I enjoy everything about it,” she says. The idea to bake came almost out of nowhere, as Sereena explains. “I was in bed on the night of November 19, 2019. I was thinking about my life and the direction I wanted to go in. I was a ‘jack of all trades’ kind of a person and remembered the time I made a homemade pecan pie, with a homemade crust. I took a picture of it and I decided to post it in a Facebook group, Detroiters In Dallas (DID). The very next day I started to get a lot of orders in. I could not believe the amount of support I received. It was a breath of fresh air. By Thanksgiving and Christmas, I had orders coming in from all parts of Facebook, and I knew then that I needed to take my idea to the next level,” she says.

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Sereena is best described as someone who is very kind, loving, and understanding. She was born in Nyack, New York and raised in Spring Valley, New York. Along with her mother and two older siblings, she relocated to Detroit, MI. Over the next few years she moved back and forth between New York and Detroit, and she considers them both to be home. At the age of 18, she moved to Atterbury, IN for school. By the age of 22, she made the decision to move to move to Minnesota for school at Hubert H. Humphery Job corps. “I found my place and a life for myself there. After a year, I left Hubert H. Humphery with my GED, CNA license, and Business Technology certificate and decided to stay in Minnesota to live. It was rocky in the beginning, yet Minnesota became my home for 14 years after making friends, and finding love,” she says. However, she found herself in a repetitive cycle, and doing the same thing, year after year. It appeared that all life had to offer me was work, pay bills, so that I could keep a roof over my head. “After having love break my heart, I decided It was time for me to get off that hamster wheel, and so I decided to move to Texas.”

Sereena had never been to Texas. Still she made the decision to move there. She wanted to become a home owner. “Moving to Texas by myself wasn’t the plan but I do believe it was God’s plan. I always say everything happens for a reason,” she says. Her decision to move was confirmed after receiving a job offer at a hospital in Texas in 2018. She knew that it was time to stop holding herself in Minnesota, and after speaking with God, she began putting things in motion to make the move. “For the month of November, I worked my butt off and sold everything. I packed up my car and on December 8th, 2018, along with a good friend, I drove 15 hours to Texas,” she says. Now at the age of 37, Sereena is a independent black woman with tons of ambition, determination, and drive.

The idea of turning her passion into a business still had not been decided for Sereena. After the holidays in 2019, she went back to her normal routine of working as a rehabilitation technician for Pate rehabilitation center. She didn’t focus on baking again until May 2020, as a result of being quarantined due to the Covid 19 pandemic. “Having to stay inside offered me the best opportunity to jump back into baking. I focused more on making desserts and finding new cakes to make. Though I was happy with baking, I wasn’t sure about making this a full time job for myself,” she says.

During the first week of August in 2019, Sereena took a little getaway to a ranch. There was nothing there but animals and peace. This experience provided her time to think freely on life and what she really wanted and what made her happy. She determined that baking was her passion, so when she got back home she took the first steps on taking her passion to the next level. On September 23rd 2020, Any Day Desserts, LLC was born.

“What I love must about my business Is when someone shares they cannot believe what they are tasting. To be able to make someone’s day with my desserts, makes me happy. When you have a customer tip you because they believe what they just tasted is worth more then what they paid for, brings me joy. To have my customers text me back 20 minutes or even three days later to let me know how much they enjoyed it, makes it all worth it,” she says.

Sereena is inspired by the positive energy from the citizens of Texas. “Seeing so many black owned businesses here has inspired me. Witnessing the love and support that we give each other In our community made me look at things differently. I have never seen anything like it before. Seeing people grind and hustle for their own business, for a better life and living made me want to be a part of it. It made me jump off of that hamster wheel. I have always been that person that has worked day in and day out, the one that always pulled doubles. I’ve had job as a CNA, working with environmental service, working on a cruise ship, and as a rehab tech. I’ve had my fair share of jobs just like I have had my fair share of ups and downs. Having God introduced into my life at the age of nine saved me. At times I question why things was happening to me at such a young age. Why put me through the horrible things, but each Sunday I when I went to the Kingdom Hall, it was like He was speaking to me. He kept me alive. If I didn’t have God in my life at that time, I truly believe that I would not be here. There was a time where I would cry when I talked about the things that I have been through at such a young age, and now I can talk about it with power in my voice,” she says.

The future looks very bright for Any Day Desserts, LLC. Sereena says her goal is to include shipping with her services, and to open her own bakery by the summer of 2021. “My overall dream is to have my own pie crust in all stores so when the holidays roll around, or just for any day, you can go and pick one up. Some people may think that’s reaching too far but I don’t. I believe that we must reach as far as you can and believe in yourself always. You should never give up on yourself. If you have the will, ambition, motivation, and a plan, I say go for it. Get off that hamster wheel and push yourself to the max. I have been blessed with this talent and I plan on making Any Day Desserts for years to come,” she says. h

Any Day Desserts, LLC “Everything Homemade” 1450 N. Hwy 360 Grand Prairie, TX 17014 817-808-3734 www.anydaydesserts.com www.any-day-desserts.square.site