Educator Turned Baker

"She believed she could, so she did!"

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Alicia Hemphill-Permenter has always had a love for baking and never knew she had the gift of baking at a professional level, not to mention owning her own custom cakes and dessert business.

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During Alicia’s younger years, her mother, Mimi Hemphill would often bake pound cakes and zucchini bread with the perfect crust, soft ginger snap cookies and sweet potato pies in their home on top of a little hill in Temple Hills, Maryland. She never stood over her mother while she baked, but always inquired about what and how much of certain ingredients her mother would put in her baked goods.  

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Although there was interest in baking, teaching and becoming an educator was always Alicia's dream and first love.  After high school, Alicia took her love of teaching further and went to college, began teaching elementary school aged children, earned her Masters in Education, and then went on to obtain a certificate in school administration, but her love and passion for baking continued to follow close behind. 

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In the Fall of 2018, Alicia decided to tap back into her love for baking by preparing multiple baked goods for family and friends’ various occasions while still holding down her full-time job within her county’s school system.  She eventually found herself investing additional time researching the best ingredients that would create the best crumb or flavor for her baked goods, researching and studying various cake decorating techniques and cake options, and watching videos on how to apply her artistic abilities to the custom design of the various baked goods that she prepared.  

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With inspiration from her mother and motivation from various family members, friends and colleagues, during the month of December 2018, Alicia decided to follow her passion for baking and opened her very own home baking business in Fort Washington, Maryland. She named it Sweet Elevations Cakes and More.  Alicia continued to work a full-time position within her county’s school system while operating Sweet Elevations, but in May 2021 she made the decision to resign from her full-time position and focus solely on operating Sweet Elevations full-time.

Over the last several years, Alicia has had the opportunity to create custom cakes and desserts for clients across the Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia area.  Some past clients have included LaJoy Plans, Bright Occasions Bespoke Weddings and Events, Event Design Group, MODE - Event by Brandon Casey, Maya Angelou Public Charter Schools, Alfred Street Baptist Church, and House of Ruth just to name a few.