This Kingston baker started with an after-school project and landed on the Food Network

Growing up in Kingston, 33-year-old Anrika Martin found her love for baking in high school at Ulster County BOCES culinary program, while aiding her teacher, Linda Carter, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.

Carter asked Martin to stay after school to help her with a wedding cake, and that's when Martin knew she'd found what she wanted to do with her life.

Martin said she had to create beautiful cakes like the one she helped her teacher with, and that passion would eventually lead to her landing a spot on a Food Network competition and opening her own bakery.

She studied at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, earning a bachelor's degree in baking and pastry arts.

She then traveled the East Coast and abroad to learn more about the baking business and gain some work experience in it, while also starting her business One N Only Cakes on the side in 2013.

"I just wanted to do my own thing," she said.

Martin came back to Kingston 2018, and made her business official, becoming One N Only Cakes, LLC in the same year.

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Di Sweet Spot by One N Only Cakes

In 2023, Martin rebranded her original business to Di Sweet Spot by One N Only Cakes.

"I felt like One N Only Cakes only targeted cakes, and I do so much more," she said. "Di Sweet Spot is everything sweet."

At this time Martin does not have a storefront, but rents a kitchen in Kingston and sells her sweet treats online. She also plans to have a grand opening for her mobile bakery when it is fully up and running.

The mobile bakery will cater to private events, offering a dessert or bakery bar with miniature desserts. As well, she plans to park the mobile bakery in public to offer her full-size desserts. Whether it's a jumbo cookie, cake jar or slice of cheesecake, she'll have something to soothe anyone's sweet tooth.

She specializes in Jamaican rum cakes, and is known for her cake jars and cookies as well as providing a warm and inviting customer experience. She believes every customer that comes to her is important, and puts her heart into every item she makes.

"I put a lot of intention in my products," she said. "I put a lot of love, as corny as that sounds, but it will take a product to a different level because people will feel that energy."

Opportunities, goals and dreams of giving back

Her experiences in the field led her to the opportunity to be on the Food Network, joining season 1 of "Summer Baking Championship." Martin ended up being a semi-finalist. "That was an incredible experience for me," Martin said.

"To be honest, being on the show really gave me a boost of confidence that I truly felt like I needed," she said. "I feel like as business owners or just creatives, we are very hard on ourselves, and sometimes we don't see our strengths or see the great things that we actually do."

Now, with Di Sweet Spot, she hopes to become well known not just in the Hudson Valley, but beyond, and in the future be a "teaching hub," a place for young people looking to get started in the industry, with the hope of granting the next generation opportunities.

Martin feels mentors in this industry are often tough on students. "Of course, there's a standard to be great, but there are different avenues, different ways to teach, and that's really important to me," she said.

To learn more about Martin's journey, see her work and support her small business, check out her website, disweetspot.com, or her Instagram page, @di_sweet_spot.

Nickie Hayes: NHayes@poughkee.gannett.com: 845-863-3518

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Food Network's Anrika Martin began baking journey in Kingston, NY