BY AMY HILL
Clemmons gem Lei Lei’s Cuisine & Bakery recently celebrated its eighth birthday with no shortage of birthday cakes for sweet-toothed supporters throughout the Triad. This month, owner Lei Lei Patterson also celebrates her 50th birthday, and plans to participate in Southern Charm on the Farm for the 9th time. What put Lei Lei’s Cuisine on the map as a dessert-lover’s dream was none other than Lei Lei’s red velvet cake, which she first concocted out of happenstance.
Much of Lei Lei’s Bakery’s existence can be attributed to Lei Lei’s husband, who volunteered Lei Lei to bake a red velvet cake for his uncle. Lei Lei was a seasoned chef after operating Lei Lei’s Cuisine, but baking was something she had much less experience in. With short notice, Lei Lei scrambled to research recipes and methods for baking the best red velvet cake. Her impromptu cake turned out to be a family favorite, and also sparked the interest of her fellow nurses, who began asking her to make cakes for special events.
Popular bakery flavors ahead of fall include a decadent caramel apple velvet cake, a bourbon spice cheesecake baked with Kentucky bourbon and Vietnamese cinnamon, and a Caribbean spice carrot cake. Customers also go crazy for Lei Lei’s chocolate cake, which sells out nearly every Saturday. With a wedding cake consultation, Lei Lei and her team can figure out which cake flavor best suits your big day. Busy brides can relax knowing that a wedding cake from Lei Lei’s Bakery will be intricately designed and carefully delivered.
According to Lei Lei, the key to consistently producing quality cakes and desserts is attention to detail, no matter how small. Minute-seeming steps in the baking process can make all the difference, such as sifting ingredients and making sure eggs are at room temperature before beating. Lei Lei’s motto for providing customers with the best baked goods possible is, “When in doubt, toss it out.” Although Lei Lei is sadly unable to taste test her desserts due to her allergies to wheat, gluten, and corn, she is adept at determining the quality of her products through sight and smell.
Aside from allowing her products to speak for themselves, Lei Lei also believes customer service is key in running a business with a stellar reputation throughout the community. For the first time, COVID-19 forced her to take her business online while businesses were closed during the early months of the pandemic. Throughout the transition, Lei Lei learned the importance of being able to pivot and roll with the punches as a business owner.
In addition to baked goods, Lei Lei’s Bakery also creates a no-churn ice cream, which Lei Lei learned from her father as a child. Her father also donated a high-quality freezer to Lei Lei’s Bakery, which holds delicious flavors of homemade ice cream daily. Lei Lei’s children, her enthusiastic and dedicated staff, and her mother Viola Roseboro are only a few of Lei Lei’s biggest supporters. As her business has grown, she has been deeply touched by the support of other local bakers throughout the Triad community, along with her loyal customer base.
Lei Lei stays busy as a Novant registered nurse for over 21 years, mother, and business owner. In the future, she hopes to incorporate a cupcake food truck into her business, as well as offering shipping to customers who order online. In the meantime, Lei Lei will continue to turn out tasty works of art from her shop at 6354 Cephis Dr. in Clemmons.
Read more about Lei Lei’s Cuisine & Bakery and place an order online at www.leileisbakery.com. Check out Lei Lei’s Cuisine on Facebook, and follow the team on Instagram at @leileiscuisine. For all other inquiries, email bakery@leileis.com, or call the shop directly at (336) 794-6511.
