Hi, I'm Nanette!
I’m a South African living in Tennessee with my husband and our three kids. I love good food, baking beautiful cakes, gathering people around a table, and finding little ways to make everyday things feel special. Most days are a mix of family, church, work, and whatever I happen to be making in the kitchen, which is usually exactly how I like things.
Southern Protea started as a place for me to share recipes, cakes, and bits of life. It’s changed quite a bit over the years, but food and the people I get to share it with have always been at the heart of it.
How I Became the Cake Lady.
I grew up surrounded by wonderful cooks, especially my mom and both of my grandmothers, so being in the kitchen has always felt pretty natural to me. Food was how we celebrated, cared for people, and spent time together, and I think a lot of my love for it started there.
Cake decorating came later, and I mostly taught myself. I started because I wanted to make beautiful cakes for the people I loved, and then I just kept learning. I watched tutorials, tried new techniques, practiced a lot, made plenty of mistakes, and slowly figured out what I was doing. Eventually, I started making cakes for friends, then friends of friends, and before long I was known as “the cake lady.”
There’s also something about creating that has always made me feel close to God. He is the ultimate Creator, and I love getting to use the creativity He’s given me to make something beautiful for someone else. Every cake that leaves my kitchen is prayed over, whether I know the person receiving it well or not. It’s a small thing, but it’s become an important part of baking for me.=
I took orders for years before stepping away as life got busier, but I never stopped making cakes for the people I love. I just got to be the cake lady without the order book for a while.
Why I’m Taking Orders Again
For a long time, I was happy making cakes for family and friends and leaving the order-taking days behind me. Then, in the summer of 2026, my husband and I traveled to Moldova with Justice & Mercy International. We fell in love with the people there and came home knowing we wanted to return.
Taking cake orders again felt like a natural way to help make that possible. I’m keeping it small, usually just one cake a week, and the money I earn is helping fund our next trip. I get to do something I love here while helping us get back to people we love there, which makes every order mean a little more.
Why the Protea?
The protea is South Africa’s national flower, so it’s always been a little reminder of home for me. It’s a strong, resilient flower that can withstand heat and drought, and I’ve always loved what that represents. It also makes me think of the women who came before me, especially my mom and grandmothers, who were strong, creative, and such a big part of shaping who I am.
When I named Southern Protea, I wanted something that brought together both parts of my story: South African by birth and Southern U.S. by life. The name has stuck through all the different versions of this little space, and I’m glad it has. It still feels like a fitting way to hold onto where I came from while making something beautiful here.
