Spotlight: Keya Wingfield’s Power of the Pastry

Although our creative niches evolve in ways we may never imagine or even understand, they often tie back to our deepest origin stories. From growing up in vivid Bombay, India, to establishing her own dessert studio in Richmond, VA, to becoming the 2021 Food Network’s Spring Baking Champion, Keya Wingfield’s journey as a pastry chef has come with a rich bond to her community and a deliciously colorful palette of baked goods and more.

Read ahead for Keya’s words:

CultureWorks: Who are you and where do you come from?

Keya Wingfield: My name is Keya (Wingfield), and I'm a business owner, pastry chef, mom, immigrant, and WOC. I was born and raised in Bombay, India, and moved to our dear RVA in 2005. I've been running a custom dessert business for the last 12 years, and I've so far - survived the pandemic. Last year I won a Food Network Baking Show and hopefully made Richmond proud. I'm a mom of two and being a mother has instilled in me a super mutant level of resiliency.

CW: Tell me a bit about your relationship to your creative work as a pastry chef! What do you do, and how did it get started?

KW: I'm married to my profession, and much like any passionate marriage, there are highs and lows. Being an immigrant WOC in a creative business comes with a unique set of challenges, however, I love my work so much that I've been able to overcome those hurdles. Food is my calling; it started by chance and one little farmers market 12 years ago brought me to where I am today. [At Keya & Co Baking,] we make custom desserts for corporate companies, events, weddings, birthdays, toll road openings (we did!), and any other event you can dream up. I've been running a ghost kitchen concept since 2010 aka Day One, and we make everything to order, from scratch.

My interest in sugar sparked when I was born into a sugar-loving family, and while I never thought I'd be in the pastry business, it has been truly fitting. Growing up in India, I had never even seen an oven, let alone use one. When I moved to the US, my fiancé (now husband) had an oven in the apartment where we were living on the Boulevard, and I started to bake and experiment. Years later my husband encouraged me to get a job at a local bakery, and that job propelled me into learning and educating myself. I simultaneously enrolled in the Pastry Arts program at J. Sargeant Reynolds [Community College] and studied for two years. Six months after I graduated I discovered a cake pop, back then nobody knew what it was. I started to make them from my home, selling at a local farmers market. From there my business grew to where I have my own dessert studio and a wonderful staff. Incidentally, around the same time in 2010, J. Sargeant Reynolds invited me back to teach the Pastry Arts program I graduated from, and that took me on a 9-year teaching journey while running a full-time business.

CW: Are you working on any food projects at the moment? Share whatever you would like about the present state of your work!

KW: YES! During the pandemic, I started to make to-go modern Indian foods, and along with the food, I'd send small bags of Masala (Indian-spiced) potato chips to my customers. The chips were received well and quite loved, which led me to establish them as a business of their own. Titled “Bombay Chips,” they're currently being sold at the VMFA, Ellwood Thompson, Perk, Barrel Thief, and Little Green House Grocery in Bellevue. We're ramping up production to make them available in more stores.

CW: How have you felt your experience in food connect with the community around you?

KW: If it wasn't for the community around me, I wouldn't be here. My customers especially have always afforded me buckets of grace and allowed me to grow as a person, a chef, and an entrepreneur. 100% of my business is word of mouth and that definitely speaks to the community around me. I've received more than I can give, so I will always try to keep giving back.

CW: Have you collaborated with any other bakers/spaces/organizations recently that were meaningful for you?

KW: I've collaborated with many companies, brands, and organizations. VMFA and Duke's Mayonnaise are my latest collaborations and it's humbling that they would consider me to work with them!

CW: What advice do you have for budding creatives in the food industry?

KW: This is always a very hard question for me to answer. I have to say: LOVE what you do, LIVE what you do. The food industry will demand a lot of patience and persistence, you'll want to give up, but keep going, it's worth it!

CW: Where do you look for inspiration these days, and how do you stay inspired?

KW: My kids inspire me. I'm always endlessly inspired by my colorful upbringing in India, and I draw from it daily. I also really love the charm of Richmond; it keeps me inspired to create, it's my city now, and it feels like home.

CW: What do arts and culture mean to you? Why does it matter?

KW: Arts and culture are the soul and backbone of any and every community. Where would we be without culture? Growing up, I witnessed arts from all walks of life. Bombay is a huge melting pot, and I was surrounded by a very diverse culture. It matters so deeply. While I have profound respect for the field of science, without the magic of arts and culture, we wouldn't have this richness in life that we have! I spent hours and hours in the art museums in Bombay when I was growing up, and it gave me such a beautiful perspective in life. I was also very lucky because my parents made sure to surround me with books and music, and introduced me to a huge array of cultures through traveling!

CW: Feel free to add anything additional that was not asked!

KW: I love this city and its people so much! I'm indebted for life!