If you were to ask Natalie Burke what her role was in the day-to-day of Original Clyde’s Hot Chicken, a restaurant that she and her husband own, she’ll humbly tell you that her husband does a great amount of the hands-on work. The founding of Original Clyde’s Hot Chicken in the spring of 2019 is just the latest conception of their collaborative working relationship.
Their paths crossed back in 2013 in a business called Envy Lounge where they had similar roots in food and hospitality. In the wake of the end of their tenure at Envy Lounge, their first brainchild was the 2015 opening of Slice Deli & Cakery, grounding Burke’s dabbling with baking into a proper and serious storefront. However, the progression of their ambitions was not without its challenges and setbacks.
Unfortunately, the venture hit an immediate disruption when she was diagnosed with metastatic cervical cancer.
“We were building our dream restaurant. It was barely an empty shell, then I got sick and had to put everything on hold,” Burke says.
Burke received intense treatment from January to July 2015 which left her at just under 100 pounds and fighting through a condition she calls “chemo brain.” This is known as debilitating brain fog brought on by chemotherapy. Ultimately, Slice Deli & Cakery was not a lasting venture, but the seeds planted in this time would flourish later.
After Burke recovered from cancer, each time she got to apply her baking skills whether it was in a bakery or her home kitchen, there was a feeling that this wasn’t quite the true application of her creative skills. As a longtime multimedia artist, applying her perspective to design something was a comfortable dexterity. Baking became industrial and it was time for a change. This breakthrough was applied in 2016 when Burke made her comeback in the niche industry of making designer cakes for celebrities.
Burke got her first major client via an Instagram follow. An availability issue caused them to tag in Burke and collaborate on a cake in 2017 for Los Angeles rapper, The Game. The teams that work for numerous celebrities would begin to take notice. Burke’s clientele continued to be greatly recognizable figures such as NBA All-Star DeMar DeRozan, comedian Kevin Hart and rapper/actor T.I. Despite another hiatus prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Burke intends to eat the fruit of the seeds she’s planted. As a return to form, her most structurally challenging cake yet is a recent take on the model icon of the Bored Ape Yacht club, a plentiful collection of alternating NFT ape avatars.
Just as a trip to Nashville inspired the founding of Original Clyde’s Hot Chicken and as she took up an opportunity to venture into a niche field despite the risks, Burke continues to read the moment and create something new of it. Clyde’s has plans of expansion throughout the OC area and the celebrity cake business is on the upswing. With bumps in the road all but in the rear view, it is a wonder what sense Burke makes of it.
“Despite everything, I always kept my passion. As much as you can, don’t let your circumstances hinder you,” Burke says. “A huge lesson I learned was that it’s okay to ask for help. I used to be uber-independent. I think my sickness softened me a lot. You can’t do everything on your own. It takes a team, even in your personal life.”
