Today we’d like to introduce you to Shane and Nigel Mushambi.
Shane and Nigel, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
We have been baking all our lives, even before we could reach the counter. We started out baking cookies. We eventually began cooking an array of items. We even grilling a few things here and there. Our baking business actually started on a fluke. We baked a cake for a local fundraising event. It was a kids’ baking contest. We just entered to help out with the fundraising event and we did not expect to win.
Truth be told if you saw what our cake looked like in comparison with the other entries you be surprised we won. The judges said our cake was the moistest cake they ever tasted. People started asking us to make our famous strawberry cake. Fast forward three years and three first prize ribbons later, 2 Bros. In The Kitchen (2BrosITK) was born.
For several months strawberry was the only flavor we offered. Our second flavor, coconut cake, came about because it is our dad’s favorite flavor and he requested we make him a cake for his birthday. After tasting our dad’s birthday cake, people started placing orders. The light bulb came on, and we began adding various flavors and menu items. Today we have over eight flavors (strawberry, coconut, chocolate, German chocolate, red velvet, carrot cake, almond, and COFFEE). That’s right COFFEE flavored cupcakes. Our coffee flavored cupcakes are one of our most popular cupcakes by far.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not been an easy journey. We are self-taught bakers. When we are learning new techniques or creating new recipes it can take us three or four tries to get it right. Recipe making can be frustrating. We have it in our heads how we want the cake to come out, but batch after batch it’s not coming out how we envisioned it would. If people only knew how many cakes we trash during the process of creating a product, they would be shocked.
Another one of our struggles is people takings us seriously. Sometimes when we are at vending events, people will look at our mom and say, “I see you brought your little helpers.” We get it, we are young, but we have invested a lot of time and money in perfecting our craft. We bake at an average of 20-25 hours a week either filling orders or creating new recipes. We buy our own supplies and tools. We are serious about our business.
There are also days when the air is not right. That means we followed the recipe just as we have done many other times before and the cake just doesn’t come out right. One day we had to remake a German chocolate cake THREE times.
Balancing school and being a business owner is also sometimes be challenging. We are both taking advanced classes that require a lot of studying time. (Shane, age 13, is currently enrolled at Houston Community College. Nigel, age 11, us current taking several high school classes including Algebra 2)
Please tell us about 2 Bros. In The Kitchen.
Our cakes are amazing. They are moist, full of flavor, and they look great too. We are honored so many people trust us to bake for their special day. So far we have made a wedding, smash, sweet 16, and an engagement cake. We’ve been hired by several companies to provide dessert buffet.
What set us apart from other business is our commitment to our community and to help others. 2 Bros. In The Kitchen doesn’t just want a world filled with people with happy taste buds. We want people to have happy stomachs and hearts too. That’s why we partner up with not-for-profit organizations, provide meals for the homeless, toys for children, and funds for medical care. We are currently partnering with JB Dondolo Foundation and raising funds for much-needed repairs to a hospital in Zimbabwe.
Life can be bitter sometimes, that’s why we decided to sprinkle a bit of sweetness into the life of unsuspecting people via our Pay-It-Forward Program. Our Pay-It-Forward program is quite simple and ingenious at the same time. Individuals simply buy a Cake in a Jar for a random person. Ingenious, because we donate a portion of the proceeds to our Not-for-Profit partner at the time and distribute the prepaid Cake in a Jars.
If you see us around town in our Orange Pay-It-Forward shirts, be sure to wave. You never know, you just might receive a PAY-IT- FORWARD Cake in a Jar.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
We love to travel. We have been to London, Paris, Zimbabwe, South Africa, New York, Washington DC, West Virginia, and Missouri.
Pricing:
- Cupcakes are $20-$22 per Dozen
- Traditional Cakes $35-$45
- Custom Cakes $40-$125
Contact Info:
- Website: www.2BrosITK.com
- Phone: 682-551-5100
- Email: 2BrosITK@gmail.com
- Instagram: Www.Instagram.com/2BrosITK
- Facebook: Www.facebook.com/2BrosITK
Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
