The ‘D’ in D’Lyte Bytes


Dominique, our prize winning baker, just entered seventh grade at a south side, Chicago Area school this month. He has been supplying those muffins and mini loaves to the Planting Dreams basket for the past four weeks. A quick learner, he only started baking this year, and already has won 1st prize for his Chocolate/ Chocolate Butter Cream creation at the eighth annual Juneteenth celebration sponsored by CIESS.

The eldest of five, Dominique was looking for an innovative way to raise money this summer, Dominique briefly considered a personal assistant / shopper business. After his mother told him to bake his own cake when he requested she bake him one, and receiving several compliments, using an old family recipe, D’Lyte Bytes was launched.

Distributing flyers and making phone calls, he quickly developed a small, but consistent group of clients providing cakes for birthday and house parties, graduations and even a grand opening. Three of his cakes, chocolate, yellow and lemon were given away as prizes at a candle party generating even more business. Dominique’s three sisters, Kayla, Alexus and Ravenjean, were engaged in the larger project as assistants, mixing, wrapping and labeling,

One of Dominique’s early supporters was Ms. Carolyn Thomas, Executive Director of God’s Gang, who offered him the opportunity to supply a variety of baked goods for inclusion in the eight week Market Basket program. Acceptance sent him to his grandmother’s cookbooks for new recipes. Early Saturday mornings, he can be found grating carrots, chopping nuts, blending in coconut and pineapple and other ingredients for those special touches. Fall and the upcoming holiday season has him working on decoration skills to enhance his product. His mother and grandmother agree his business will continue as long as it doesn’t interfere with his school work and he keeps bringing home ‘A’s and ‘B’s on his report card.