By Anjali Caligiuri
“Selina’s is more than just red velvet cake,” said Anthony Lewis, owner of Selina’s Red Velvet.
After hearing the devastating news that his mother, Selina King, was diagnosed with breast cancer in July 2018, Lewis uprooted his life in Georgia and moved to Valrico with his 6-year-old son to be with his mother. As the medical bills piled up, he decided to take action to pitch in with his mother’s rehabilitation.
Using her original red velvet recipe, Lewis baked cupcakes to help his mother conquer cancer in January 2019 and now continues the business to donate a dollar from each sale to the Florida Cancer Specialist Foundation.
Looking back to 2018, baking was never a part of Lewis’ plan. Having previously worked in customer service, spending his time baking cupcakes with the recipe his mother used for 27 years was not something he envisioned, but rather a delightful blessing.
“I never gave it much thought; however, I’ve always been great with directions, and I absolutely love what I do,” said Lewis.
What used to be a way to aid the chemo payments has now developed into a devoted small business and has earned recognition from news stations, radio stations and newspapers who are covering this inspiring story. Lewis and King bake to contribute to the Florida Cancer Specialist Foundation and spread Selina’s Red Velvet across the Tampa Bay area.
“Eventually, I’d like a storefront not just in Florida but in multiple states with also continuing to offer delivery. I’m currently working to start shipping the cake as I’ve been getting requests from customers in different states,” said Lewis.
As Lewis takes up King’s recipe and continues the legacy of her red velvets, the Tampa Bay area can’t get enough of their cupcakes and their inspiring story.
“We’re connecting people and putting smiles on faces while building lasting relationships through red velvet cake,” said Lewis.
Selina’s offers cupcakes, red velvet cakes, three-layer cakes and more and delivers locally for $3. Cupcakes are one dozen for $15 and slices are $3 each.
To find out what makes Selina’s Red Velvet so delicious, contact Anthony Lewis on Facebook @Selinasredvelvet, on Instagram at _selinasred_, on Twitter at _selinasred_, email selinasanthony31@gmail.com or call 408-9042 and 408-2223.
