The Pitch
Kim Dejan is the Praline Brownie Queen of New Orleans! Kim Dejan, owner of KD’s NOLA Treats, created her Dessert Company in 2016, specializing in homemade mini desserts made from scratch using no preservatives or artificial flavors. With the support from her social media “NOLA TREAT FRIDAYS”, Kim was able to quit her corporate accounting job and sell desserts inside of the Roux Carré Food Hub. Kim discovered the Praline Brownie to be her best seller which propelled her to prepackage and sell treats online, in stores, and at local festivals and pop ups. Kim’s goal is to mass produce and sell consumer packaged goods all over the world.
Kimberly Dejan, Lee Ateman, Isaiah Alcorn, & Cindy Barnes
The Entrepreneur
Kimberly Dejan is a mom, college graduate and first generation entrepreneur of her family. Kim is the owner of KD’s NOLA Treats, a dessert company she started in 2016 while working a corporate job as an accountant. Kim always baked as a child, growing up close to her grandparents who instilled the importance of hard work. Kim fell in love with desserts while following in the footsteps of her mom who was always in the kitchen cooking meals and making praline, bread pudding and cheesecakes for family and friends. While working in Corporate Accounting, Kim would return home to bake to relieve stress. Kim stepped out of the corporate structure in 2017 to pursue Entrepreneurship and hasn’t looked back, creating dessert experiences at weddings and corporate events. Kim discovered the Praline Brownie to be her best seller while operating inside of the Roux Carre (an outdoor food court) and knew the next step would be to prepackage, wholesale and ship them all over the world. Kim has sold Praline Brownies at local festivals and popups, The Hilton Airport Gift Shop and now The Hilton Canopy Gift Shop, Grocery Stores and Coffee Shops. While people know New Orleans for Mardi Gras and King Cake, Kim plans to become the Praline Brownie Queen of New Orleans!
Lee Ateman has an extensive background in office management, bookkeeping and administration. Lee assists with packaging, bakery prep, event set up and hiring. Lee offers great assistance at job fairs to find potential candidates and staff for KD’s NOLA Treats.
Isaiah Alcorn works part time as a Bakery Prep Assistant. Isaiah’s close attention to detail allows him to carefully prepare and bake the brownies and cookies that are prepackaged. Isaiah is always one step ahead of others in the kitchen, setting up workstations and assisting with clean up after events. Isaiah loves to cook, showcasing his skill at recent live demonstrations with KD at a local farmers market. Isaiah aspires to become a firefighter.
Cindy Barnes, KD’s mother, has been a huge supporter and helper to KD’s NOLA Treats. Cindy’s love for cooking and baking are what inspired Kim to start her own dessert company. Cindy has assisted Kim on numerous occasions with weddings, events, festivals, pop ups and recipe ideas. Although Cindy does not work in the kitchen, she’s always one phone call aways from offering her help and support to KD’s NOLA Treats.