ATHENS, Ga. — Local confections spot Jessicakes Bakery earned a sweet recognition last month.
Jessica Channell, the owner of Jessicakes Bakery, submitted her well-loved Georgia Turtle Delight cheesecake in the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) annual Flavor of Georgia Food Product Contest.
The competition is divided into numerous categories, from picked vegetables to dairy products to condiments and sauces. But the sweetest category to win is arguably the best cake contest.
“It’s called Georgia Turtle Delight,” Channell said. “It is a cheesecake, actually, that has a fudgy brownie crust, my homemade – which I make everything here in-house, so the brownie is made in-house. Then it has my rich and creamy cheesecake filling in the middle, which I use for all of my cheesecakes, so it’s sweet, but it’s not overly sweet. It only has five ingredients in it, so it’s really simple, but it’s really creamy and delicious. And then it’s topped with a chocolate ganache, house-made caramel and toasted Georgia pecans.”
After passing a preliminary round in March, Channell travelled to Athens on April 17 to compete in the final contest against two other finalists. Her cheesecake was measured against a pound cake from Tyrone and chocolate-covered fruitcake bites from Thomson.
In the end, Channell’s confection earned the crown.
“I was so excited,” Channell said. “This is only the second contest I’ve ever entered with my cakes, but I’ve never won any contest like this. I was super excited.”
Channell said that entries were judged based on five different criteria: Flavor and texture, ingredient profile, potential market volume, consumer appeal and the Georgia theme.
The six judges all provided positive feedback, appreciating how much of the cake is sourced from the local area and that Channell takes time to make the different flavors in-house.
Jessicakes Bakery is located at 10271 Industrial Blvd. in Covington. The business is based around fulfilling custom orders, which Channell says keeps the cakes fresh and reduces waste. However, on Fridays, hungry customers can stop by and grab a cupcake or cookie, which Channell will bake that morning to sell throughout the day.
“My customers have always loved my cheesecake,” Channell said. “It’s actually the turtle cheesecake, they always sell really well whenever I have them in-shop. Now that I’ve won the Flavor of Georgia, I’m going to try and make sure that I have it pretty regularly in the shop so that people can either stop in and pick up a slice or get a small cheesecake.”
Channell has been selling baked goods for 21 years. She started selling from her home and continued to grow over the last two decades until reaching the award-winning bakery level she finds herself at today.
Channell added that all of her success would not have been possible without her fiancé, Ricky Hilliard. Being from Madison herself, Channell says that Hilliard influenced her decision to start the bakery in Covington.
“Without him, I never would have been in Covington, and he has helped me through the years so much,” Channell said. “He’s been with me from day one, just helping me get everything up and running. He’s set up the bakery, he’s fixed things for me, and just the moral support really has helped more than all of the other things combined.”
But Channell currently does not have any plans to take Jessicakes Bakery to higher levels of competition, saying she likes serving her Covington customers.
“It’s nice for the recognition, but I’m still just a very simple kind of person,” Channell said. “...I enjoy what I do. I enjoy my customers…I don’t want to get to the point where I lose that sense of personal interaction with my customers, and I feel like if I do a lot of other competitions…then I can’t be here.”
