James Edwards, owner of James Gourmet, and Laura Hnat, head baker, prepare to make sweet potato pies, the company’s specialty, on Saturday, August 28, 2021 at the Ogden Bakery, where Edwards rents space. (Tim Vandenack, standard examiner)
One of the sweet potato patties from James Edwards’ company James Gourmet, photographed in Ogden on Saturday, August 28th, 2021. (Tim Vandenack, standard examiner)
James Edwards, right in the black shirt, at a viewing party for The Profit on Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at The Monarch in Ogden. Edwards’ efforts to expand his business, James Gourmet, were at the center of the episode. (Tim Vandenack, standard examiner)
Tim Vandenack, standard auditor
James Edwards, owner of James Gourmet, and Laura Hnat, head baker, prepare to make sweet potato pies, the company’s specialty, on Saturday, August 28, 2021 at the Ogden Bakery, where Edwards rents space. (Tim Vandenack, standard examiner)
OGDEN – James Edwards’ cake maker career began with his Air Force pals at Hill Air Force Base.
The positive feedback for his sweet potato patties got him thinking. “I thought, ‘I’d better make this a business,'” he said. In 2018, when his full-time career with the U.S. Air Force came to an end, he received a business license and took his pies on the streets and traveled to farmers markets across Utah, including Farmers Market Ogden.
Sales grew steadily, which prompted him to look for ever larger bakeries and consider how he could keep this growth going. “I’ve always wanted to bring my pies nationwide,” said Edwards, who now operates out of a bakery in Ogden.
He secured a spot on The Profit, the Marcus Lemonis-hosted CNBC reality show designed to boost small or troubled businesses looking for a break. And now – over three years after he started – he hopes he’s on the verge of making his business, James Gourmet, a great success.
The episode with Edwards aired on Tuesday. But the plans for the expansion were in the works, as he is being looked after by Lemonis while filming the program and is chewing on the bite.
Tim Vandenack, standard auditor
One of the sweet potato patties from James Edwards’ company James Gourmet, photographed in Ogden on Saturday, August 28th, 2021. (Tim Vandenack, standard examiner)
“If God willing, we’re going to go from just a small part of the factory to the whole factory,” said Edwards. He’s using part of the Aspen Mills Bread Company’s Ogden facility – his fourth location as he’s been looking for larger facilities to keep up with growing demand – but dreams of more.
“We only want to get the best cakes we can,” he said. His full-time position in the Air Force ended in 2020 after 14 years and cake is now his professional focus.
Ambitions don’t fluctuate
Edwards, who learned cake-making from his grandmother and stepmother, isn’t the first entrepreneur to dream of making it big. But his appearance on The Profit – he had to audition for the role – offers a glimpse into the sweat, heartbreak, joy and frustration that accompanies the process.
Edwards hosted a television party Tuesday that was attended by about 100 friends at The Monarch in Ogden. Criticism from Lemonis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Camping World, a recreational vehicle dealer, has been fierce at times.
Tim Vandenack, standard auditor
James Edwards, right in the black shirt, at a viewing party for The Profit on Tuesday, August 31, 2021 at The Monarch in Ogden. Edwards’ efforts to expand his business, James Gourmet, were at the center of the episode. (Tim Vandenack, standard examiner)
“He’s always looking for the shortcut to the million dollar deal,” Lemonis said during the episode. The cake baker does not follow if he makes suggestions, said Lemonis.
As with many programs, however, the ending offered some sort of resolution. Edwards completed a pastry program at a Park City culinary school, learned about another cake maker’s online operations, and more, and his path was set.
Real reality isn’t always as tidy as TV reality, but Edwards, always optimistic, is optimistic. He has added buttermilk cakes and sweet potato bread to his range and plans to expand sales nationwide through his new website http://jamesgourmet.com. As a military veteran, he also sees military bases as a potential market.
“The biggest dream is to get into all military chow halls,” he said.
Lemonis announced on Tuesday that it had invested $ 50,000 in Edwards’ business. Additionally, as part of his appearance at The Profit, Edwards received a $ 100,000 line of credit over the next three years to support his expansion efforts.
The work remains – first and foremost, he tries to determine the most economical way to send cakes. But his ambitions do not waver. “We want to keep serving as many people as possible,” said Edwards.
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