Koffee ChitChat
Koffee ChitChat
The Making of Scrumpt: Jay Blake’s Sweet Success Story
We sit down with Atlanta baker and entrepreneur J-Blake to talk about building and rebuilding a dessert brand rooted in Southern tradition, community, and pressure-tested creativity from national TV. His story moves from a small-town rise to a season of refocus, offering real lessons on resilience, identity, and craft.
In this episode:
• Carrying Southern nostalgia from Grandma’s kitchen into modern desserts
• Navigating rapid growth, burnout, and the choice to close a successful first bakery
• Launching Scrumpt with a smaller menu and a bigger focus on quality
• Learning from the Food Network how to adapt quickly and release perfectionism
• Insights from 99 to Beat on mental toughness and handling pressure
• Balancing the marathon of bakery life with the sprint of televised competition
• Encouragement for small-town dreamers on risk, failure, and self-belief
• What’s next: Atlanta storefront goals, nationwide shipping, and keeping the soul in every dessert
• Fan favorites and surprises: cheesecake devotion and the red velvet–banana pudding mashup
Follow J-Blake:
Instagram: @lifeofjblake
Scrumpt: @scrumptatl
- “That’s it for today’s brew of inspiration on Koffee Chitchat. Take what filled your cup today and pour it into someone else’s life.”
Hey, Instagram Paula with another exciting episode of Coffee Today. We have an awesome guest in the house, but before we introduce them, you guys know how we do it. We're going to shout out our Coffee of the Week, which is a Peton. Make sure you try one. Our guest is Jay Blake. He is an Atlanta-based entrepreneur and baker who southernmost tried through his bowl, creative desserts. As co-founder of Scrum, he's known for reimagining Southern Suite with a modern twist while keeping community at the heart of his work. His passion has earned him national recognition, including the campus, on the Food Network and Fox's new competition series, 99 to be. Through our creativity and resilience, Jay continues to inspire both in and out of the kitchen. Welcome to Coffee Chit Chat.
SPEAKER_02:Thank you. Blessed to be here.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, yeah, we're happy to have you. So, what first drew you into bacon and how have your southern roots shaped the flavors that you create?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so um really I've always been drawn to bacon because of my family. So um I'm actually from the deep south of North Carolina, well, the deep south of the state of North Carolina. Um so, you know, growing up there, like desserts typically are like something sweet at the end of a meal. Um, but we like to say that desserts are the centerpiece of like our gatherings and celebrations and Sunday dinners. Um so really I just carry that now into my bacon. I want people to taste um the recipes and know that they come from like home and warmth and like just when you bite it, you feel a little bit of nostalgia in every bite, right? Um, I grew up baking with my grandma. So I actually grew up right beside her. So I was a little kid running next door to see like what she was baking today, or especially around holidays. I was always in the kitchen helping her, um, making like cute little recipe cards and all that. So really it started with my family. I love it. And have turned into this, which is crazy.
SPEAKER_01:That's awesome because when you say that that you grew up right next to your grandmother, I did as well from Louisiana, a little small town. Yeah, right next door, and I would do the same, just run over there. You're making biscuits, how do you do that? You're making a biscuit, how do you do that? So I love that. So you're baking out of heart with that family uh tradition. So I'm gonna vision behind starting scrump and how do you keep community at the heart of it?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so um the vision is I kind of like recreated my old business basically, but uh long story short, I owned a dessert shop in North Carolina um for almost a decade, and it blew up. I mean, like overnight, um, basically. So I very first opened that eight months later, I was on Food Network. Um, it was it just literally, I'm from a super small town. There was people driving hours and hours to try our stuff, and it really just blew up overnight. And we went from having like little cupcakes to then bringing on cheesecakes and then bringing on custom cakes and then bringing on candy apples, and then now we're selling brownies and pound cakes, now we're selling parfaits and dessert jars, so it it really blew up into like a franchise, I would like to say. Um, and I don't know, I got super burnt out. Um, I I mean we were having 50 to 60 items a day. Um, I mean, like milkshakes, and then we brought on coffees, and it was just always something new. Um, and it was a lot to keep up with. Um, I mean, I had a staff of 12 to 15 people at all times, so it was really something magnificent, and I thank God every day for that. But I closed down because I was super exhausted and I wasn't taking care of my personal self and my health. Um, so I ended up moving to Atlanta and I was like, I'm dumb banking, I don't want to bank ever again. Um, I want to be on TV. So that's uh I'm moving to Atlanta and that's what I'm gonna do. And I moved here and I got like my first real job. Um, because I I opened my business right out of college. So um I worked at Tick filet when I was 16 years old, but I had never really had a career. Um so I moved to Atlanta to get my first real job, and I'm like, baby, this ain't it. I'm like, this ain't it. So um I don't like people to tell me what to do. I don't like to have to ask off for work. You know what I'm saying? Like if I wanna Yeah, like I only get 30 minutes for lunch. Like, if I want to go sit down somewhere and just chill for an hour, I want to be able to do that. So that weren't it for me. So I quit that job and I'm like, you know what? I do miss what I do, I'm gonna try it again. So I opened I opened Scrump, but the most important thing that I like to say about Scrump is it's a smaller version of my old bakery. So I feel like we're in my old dessert shop, we got super lost in like having a ton of products and making sure that like production was key. Now for me, I want scrump to feel a little bit more personal and connected. I want the desserts, I don't want you just coming here spending money. I want you to come in here and taste that fresh sweet potato that was roasted this morning in that pumpkin. You know, I don't, you know, it's not like not everything is homemade. Um, not like I mean, in my old bakery it was too, but I just think a lot of the touch and the love got lost in what I was doing. And it was really just turning product for money. Um, so for me, scrump is a little bit more personal, and I want people to feel that when they come in. Like it's the same concept, but it's a little bit less menu items that I can really focus on and make sure that they're perfect no matter what it is. Um and then as far as community, I mean, like community is at the heart of everything I do. Um, I am a part of the LGBTQ plus community, number one. That's the most important community I'm a part of. Um, and for me, just giving back to other LGBTQ plus individuals, or and whether that is um bending up pride or or donating to a drag brunch or something that's happening, or just collaborating with other small businesses that are you know in the same community. Um, I just want our products and our brand to feel approachable. And that's that's the biggest thing for me as far as community goes.
SPEAKER_01:Awesome. Awesome. So you competed on Food Network before. What did Food Francis teach you about resilience and creativity? I can watch Food Network a lot of trying to.
SPEAKER_03:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:I was on Food Network. Um, Food Network was a ride. I would tell you, Food Network was a ride. So the very first show that I was on, like I said, we filmed it eight months out the door. I had just opened my bakery, and uh six months later we get a message, um, an email, and they're wanting us to film a TV show. And I'm like, this has got to be a scam because nobody, nobody from where I'm from is on TV. Like, you don't hear from that in my hometown. So um I was like, this is a scam, I'm not gonna respond. So then they call the shop, and I'm like, okay, maybe this isn't a scam, maybe y'all really want me. And it was, I mean, three weeks later after doing everything, we're flying out to LA to film this TV show. So that was the first one. Then we were on it again. Um, and I don't know. I mean, I think the main thing that it teaches me about resilience and creativity is like how to think on my feet and push past self-doubt. So, like, I'm a Virgo, number one, and everything has to be perfect, and I have to control every situation. But when you're in those high pressure environments, it's no controlling it. Yeah, there's no controlling it. So, like right now in the kitchen, I'm thinking about, oh, make sure my recipe is perfect. And really on TV, you're just like, if it don't go the way you plan, it just don't go the way you plan. And maybe we just gotta get it done. You know, I mean, you're you're like working and you're looking at the clock, and this is real. This is real time. Like when they say hands off, hands off, or you're disqualified, you know. So no matter what you're competing for, no matter how much money you're competing for, Food Network is intense. But literally, one of the best experiences of my life. I would do it over and over again every single day. Um, but it it really just I'm I'm like I said, I'm very focused on controlling things and making sure everything's perfect. And Food Network taught me everything doesn't have to be perfect because the outcome is still gonna be the same, just take a different route.
SPEAKER_01:So when they say 30 minutes or you have an hour, they really mean it.
SPEAKER_02:And you guys, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01:You don't you have to be good to do that because I would be so nervous, like, oh do I have to put this in there? Oh wow. Okay.
SPEAKER_02:I mean, even when the host come out and say, like you see the host or you see the judges, and they're like, Oh, we have a surprise. Now you need to add this ingredient into your and I'm like, the the stuff's already made. You know, so that happened on the show as well. Um, uh it was super intense, but truly taught me like a lot of stuff about myself and how I use my creativity in the kitchen.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, I love that. Yeah, now let's talk about this 99 to beat. How did this opportunity come about and what made you say yes?
SPEAKER_02:Um, I'm a huge competitor. Uh I'm a competitor at heart, right? So I I go like my friends host game nights, I host theme nights at my complex. Um and I really love winning, and I really hate losing. And um, I don't know, like so a casting director sent me a message on Instagram and asked how tall I was. And yeah, and I was like, okay, I'm 6'3. And uh he was like, Okay, I'm casting for this show. I think you would be great. And really, they were just trying to get like tall people, short people, big people, small people, like people from all different backgrounds. Um, so I responded and he was like, Can I call you today? And I was like, Well, of course you can call me today. So he told me about this show where I would go on a show with 99 other people and compete for$100,000. And I was like, okay, cute. Um, 99 people, I was a little weary, but I was like, okay, a hundred, a hundred grand, I could use that, right? And I never go into anything thinking I'm gonna lose. So I'm like, oh yeah, I'm gonna bring the 100,000 back and I'm gonna expand my business. So um really that's what made me say, yeah. I was like, why not? I'm a competitor, I don't think I'm gonna lose. And I just knew that, you know, this, like I said earlier, this is what I moved to Atlanta for. I moved to Atlanta for TV. So um, like I said, those opportunities don't really come. There's no airport to fly out of back home. You know what I'm saying? Like it's just the rooms that you're networking in are completely different. So I was like, I I knew I had to get out of that shell to become greater. And um, when that came around, I was like, it's no question if I'm going. If you want me, I want you. And I said yes.
SPEAKER_01:See, I got you. So I know that you probably can't talk a whole lot about uh, you know, the show, but what was the biggest challenge you faced during um the competition? Because you guys have already filmed, I think it's supposed to start September 24th, I believe.
SPEAKER_02:September 24th, yeah. Okay. So um yeah, 99 of B comes on September 24th next Wednesday at 9 p.m. on Fox. Um, but uh I can't say much, but what I can say is that the biggest challenge, and I think any of my castmates will agree with this, um, it wasn't the games and like it wasn't the people, like everything that you thought it was gonna be, it wasn't. When I say the biggest challenge was mental, it will all make sense when you watch the show. You know, and and for me, like you're surrounded by 99 other people who are super strong in their own ways, they have their own walk in life, they've done their own grand things, and you know, like for me, I feel like when I walk in a room, like, okay, I've done this, this, this, this, this, and I'm like laying out my resume, but in a room full of 99 people, it's kind of hard to do that because we're all great at our own things, you know. Like, I was the only baker there, like there wasn't anybody else that had their own dessert shop and like done these cute cakes and stuff. But in the circle, I'm standing by directly beside somebody who is one survivor twice.
SPEAKER_03:So I'm like psyched out, right?
SPEAKER_02:So I'm like really psyched out, but I think that I just had to remind myself constantly that like God put me in that room for a reason. And um, you know, I belong there, and then I just I every single day I woke up and I was like, you're worthy of being here. You know what I'm saying? Like you are able to compete at this level. Um, because 99 of the people in that room, like it really gets to you, and you're like, should I be here? Why did you call me? You know what I'm saying? So um it was it was a huge, like, huge, huge, huge mental challenge for me. Um, you know, just the anxiety of standing there because you're on you're on the show and they tell you the rules of the game, and we're like sitting there listening to the rules of the game, and it might be 45 minutes before we play the game. It's not like, oh, here's the rules of the game, the buzzer sounds. No. So the whole entire time you're like, how do I melt a block of ice? Only body heat. What do I do? Do I put it in my shirt? Do I lick it? Like, so it's a huge block of ice, and you're just standing there thinking, and you're like psyching yourself out, right? So when I say mental, I literally mean mental. And when you see, when you see the challenges, some of them you're gonna be like, that's gotta be easy. But when there's a hundred cameras in the room and the spotlights are on, and you hear that buzzer, all you can think is like, I cannot be last, I cannot be last, I cannot be last. It's just yeah, it's super, super, super intense.
SPEAKER_01:And it is actually um 99 people. Like, are you guys competing at the same time?
SPEAKER_02:Like everybody at the same time, yeah. So it's it's a hundred people all together, and then the person that comes last in each game is eliminated. Oh no, yeah. So, like the very first game, which you see on the commercial, is there's like a thousand balloons that drop from the ceiling. And in these balloons is a Hawaiian lay. And you have to pop the balloons and find a lay. But there's a thousand balloons, there's a hundred people, there's only 99 lays, so everybody's like frantically just popping balloons, popping balloons, like trying to get that Hawaiian lay. And one person don't. And then, you know, of course, the last person standing that doesn't have a lay in their hands.
SPEAKER_01:Oh, okay. I'm excited to watch this.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so it's super intense, and the number one rule is don't finish last. Um, so as long as you don't finish last, it don't matter who's first. And that was the good thing about the show is you don't have to finish first. You know, it's not a race, it's more so just like, but it is a race, right?
SPEAKER_03:It's not a race, but it's love it, love it.
SPEAKER_01:Now, how does competing on national TV compare to running your bakery day to day?
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, so I guess speaking about a race, um, I don't know, like for me, running my bakery is a marathon. Like, let's let's use that. So it's all about consistency and discipline and like literally showing up every single day. It don't matter if I made$12 yesterday. I'm gonna show up today and I'm gonna, you know, roam weren't built overnight. So I roam weren't built in a day. That's what they say. Okay, we're gonna cut that. Um, so they say roam weren't built in a day. So it's all about consistency, discipline, showing up every single day. Um, and that for me is running a bakery. Competing on national TV is a sprint, right? So we have a marathon and a sprint, and they're similar, but they're not the same. So um for me, like TV is super high energy and high stakes, and there's cameras everywhere, and everybody's focused on you, and that requires way more focus and heart than like me just running my bakery. But I guess both of them are super similar in a way that regardless, you show up every day and you show up as your best self, your most authentic self. And I believe 100% everything happens for a reason. I have a tattooed on my hand. So um I do believe that whatever is out there for you is gonna come to you regardless. Um so um I see all that to say run the baker's a marathon on TV is a sprint. They're very they're they're very similar, but um to me they they are very different for sure.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, okay. So, what lessons from your journey as an entrepreneur and as a contestant do you hope to pass on to others who are chasing big dreams? You know, who may be that little small town boy, like you say, from the Carolinas by the way I live in South Carolina.
SPEAKER_03:Okay, love that.
SPEAKER_01:Um, you know, they're saying, like, you know, it's nobody here, they're never gonna recognize me. What kind of uh advice would you give them for their inspiration?
SPEAKER_02:Okay, I'm gonna try not to get emotional. I'm a super emotional person, but I will say that um for me, I'm a black gay man, right? So for me, like, and I'm from if not the one of the most conservative and Bible-belt parts of North Carolina. Okay, and for me, I was never supposed to make it. You know, I I was never supposed to make it. So um, you know, I feel like, and not just my hometown, I love my supporters. They made me who I am. They they're the reason that I I 100% knew when I opened in Atlanta I could own a bakery again because they pushed me to those limits when I was in North Carolina. Um, but I also will say that hometowns just have a way of holding you hostage and making you think that there's nothing better and that you should settle for what is around the corner. And I've just I've never been the one to settle. I've always known that God had something so much greater for me. And um, I truly manifested that for myself. And I think that the number one rule in life is it's okay to take risks, but it's also okay to fail. And I've failed many times. I'm not that person that's like, oh, we don't fail, we just learn lessons. No, sometimes we do fail. And it's okay. But as long as we do learn those lessons from that failure, we just keep on moving forward. And for me, um, you know, setbacks are a part of the process, but also like really just pushing yourself and knowing every single day that nobody can offer the world what you as an individual can. And you know, I wake up every single day and I look myself in the mirror and say, you are Jay Blake. And nobody in the world can offer what Jay Blake can offer the world. And whatever that means is what that means that day. You know, like when I was on the show, nobody on that show could give the cameras what they wanted but me. And even though I competed with great people, I had to tell myself that to stay in that zone, right? So were there louder people in the room? Absolutely. Is there people with better outfits on? Absolutely. But is there a J Blake? Absolutely not. Okay, you know, so every single day that I wake up, I just have to tell myself that. So for anybody, anybody anywhere chasing dreams, just know that anything is possible, stay persistent. Um, whatever is for you is for you. And it doesn't matter how many people get called back before you. It doesn't matter how many people open a business before you, it don't matter how many people start a podcast before you. You know, for for me, truly, when you're when it's your moment, it's your moment. And nobody can take that from you. So just believe in yourself, chase your dreams, and stay persistent.
SPEAKER_01:I love that. You guys hear that chip channels. That is awesome advice. I love it. And looking ahead, what's next for you in Scott?
SPEAKER_02:What's next for me is hopefully more TV. Um, uh, I do believe that there's so much more out there. I think that God is only scratching the surface right now and preparing me for what's to come. So, really for me, I don't know what's next, but I trust that whatever it is, I'm ready for and I'm prepared uh to take on. Um, as far as scrump goes, I'm really manifesting that we're going to be in a storefront by the holiday season. Um, so I really am just planning on growing our presence in Atlanta. You know, we are still new here. We've only been open eight months. Um, but I want to be a household name, but a worldwide name. So uh we launched shipping earlier this year. Um, so you can buy all things scrumped at get scrumped.com. Um or you can come see us in person. So the goal is really just to keep building. Um, of course, opening up a brick and mortar, but never getting to the point to where we're just so busy that the homey southern-inspired routes are lost. I don't ever want to get there again. Um, so really just focusing on that, going into a brick and mortar, and yeah, becoming worldwide.
SPEAKER_00:So I always ask like fun, two fun little questions at the end of the interview. So if you could only eat one dessert for the rest of your life, what would it be?
SPEAKER_02:Okay. Um I have so many favorite desserts, but to know Jay Blake is to know that Jay Blake loves a good cheesecake. And I mean, like, you can do anything with a cheesecake. You can put cake on it, you can mix toppings in it, you can do a plain salsa cheesecake, put toppings on top. Like, there's just there's so many ways to eat a cheesecake. You can fry it, you can brulee it. So um I don't know, cheesecake. It's just so versatile.
SPEAKER_01:I love the New York cheesecake. Oh, you make a good strawberry cheesecake.
SPEAKER_02:We have a phenomenal strawberry shortcake cheesecake. Um, yeah, that's very and we have a New York style cheesecake that's literally just cheesecake and like a strawberry compost topping that we make. Um, but the strawberry shortcake is where it's at. And it's it's it's one of our best sellers, yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So last question, what's a flavor combination people would be surprised actually works?
SPEAKER_02:Um I do a bunch of crazy stuff flavor-wise. Um but for me, like I never think about what's gonna work when it comes to thinking like two southern classics and putting them together. So um I guess the answer to this question will be like red velvet and banana pudding. Um so it's one of our like best sellers, uh, no matter what it is. We can do like a red velvet banana pudding, or we can do a red velvet banana pudding cupcake, um, red velvet banana pudding cheesecake. It just both of those mesh well together. Like the richness of the red velvet, the creaminess of the banana pudding. Um, I don't know. The first time I tried it, I like fell out. Um, because you don't really think to put them together, like you think, oh, I want a slice of red velvet cake, or oh, I want a nice banana pudding. Right. But like putting those two together, ultimate combo, knock you out. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01:And banana pudding. Oh wow.
SPEAKER_02:Try trying it, but give me my credit when you try it.
SPEAKER_01:How can the listeners follow you? How can the chip?
SPEAKER_02:Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you can follow me on Instagram at life of J Blake. So L-I-F-E of J Blake. Um, and then you can follow the brand at scrumpatl. So that's s-r-u-m-p-t-at-l.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, you guys hear that, and we're gonna make sure we put it in our Facebook group. We have a pretty big following on Facebook. We're still growing our Instagram and TikTok, but it's getting there.
SPEAKER_02:I get it. Facebook's where I started. I'm I'm new in the Instagram game, but Instagram is apparently where it's at these days. But I'm I'm still a lover of Facebook.
SPEAKER_01:My my children, my young adults always say, Oh, that's the old folks. Um, networking, well, I have a lot of people out there.
SPEAKER_02:Right. And that's not a matter.
SPEAKER_01:Okay, guys. Well, I quote for the week is every sweet bite and every sip of coffee is a little reminder to savor life simple joys. Make sure you join us next week for another episode of Coffee Chit Chat.
