Dancehall Queen Carlene’s Sweet Potato Puddings Reign Supreme

COVID-19 lockdown has many people feeling the blues, but Dancehall Queen, Carlene is making sweet potato puddings instead.

Baking since she was a teenager, Jamaica’s first dancehall queen has turned her baking skills in a new business, making and selling sweet potato puddings.

In an interview with TVJ’s Smile Jamaica, the former dancehall queen, whose given name is Carlene Smith, pointed out to host Simone Clarke-Cooper that because her father was a vegetarian, she challenged herself to make foods for his that fit his vegetarian lifestyle.

“My father was a vegetarian, and so am I. So, I always tried to create stuff for him that had no milk, no cheese, no egg, no anything. I’ve been making these (puddings) since I was about 13, 14 years old,” she said.

Her puddings are made from organically grown sweet potatoes, striving to create a dessert that is natural and healthy. Instead of sugar, she uses another form of sweetener, for which she did not provide the name, keeping the ingredient a secret. She explained that because her sister is diabetic, but still wanted to enjoy dessert, she opted for the secret sweetener.

Dancehall Queen Carlene expressed that she began publicly selling slices of her sweet pudding at House of Dancehall in 2017, but demand for the puddings increased, with people not quite satisfied with on a slice and wanted whole puddings instead. This demand for her puddings motivated her to take advantage of the lockdown, which had her staying at home more than usual, and as she puts it, “do me” -make puddings.

“As the lockdown went on and on… stay at home order, so I said: ‘Why not go bake’,” she said.

Turning her baking skill into a solid business venture, Carlene created the brand ‘Dancehall Queen Carlene Sweet Potato Pudding’.

According to Carlene, pudding sales are doing great locally, and she’s tapping into international distribution as well.

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She added that a good friend of hers encouraged her to take her business internationally. “Listen…Come on. Why stay here?”

She sells her sweet potato puddings online to customers in Jamaica and overseas.

Local customers can place their potato pudding orders via email, WhatsApp, or direct message on Instagram. For overseas delivery, customers may order via aisle876.com and expect shipment via FEDx Priority.

Fans on her Instagram page are delighted to learn about her business and eager to know how they can place their order.

One wrote, “Wait a minute….OVERSEAS ORDER, FEDx Priority 👀 🏃 💨 💨 How much can I order one time ?”

Another excited fan commented, “LOVE IT‼ YOU DESERVE EVERY SINGLE SUPPORT FROM I AND THE ENTIRE WORLD ‼ I LOVE POTATO PUDDING. MY FAVORITE. ”

“I want to try mi never know carlene is a baker biggg up,” added another fan thrilled with her new venture.

Carlene Smith became Jamaica’s first Dancehall Queen in 1992 and was the undisputed queen for several years. She was full of charisma on stage and garnered attention, not only for her captivating dance moves but her signature costumes as well. Today, doing more in the dancehall scene – she’s a brand ambassador for House of Dancehall and has appeared at dancehall lectures and hosted an online dancehall workshop.

Best of luck to the Queen on her new business venture.