Daijua Corin, a 13-year-old chef, is the owner and operator of VelaDelights.com. Corin visited Appalachian State University Wednesday. Photo by Holt Menzies | Chief Photographer.

Corin made her first trip to Boone for the annual Young Entrepreneurs Symposium, held at the Broyhill Inn & Conference Center Wednesday.

One of four entrepreneurs who shared stories of success, Corin operates her business from her home in Charlotte, where she creates her concoctions in the kitchen and requires two refrigerators for organization.

“I wanted to create treats I could put a candle in,” Corin said.

Corin’s mother, Lanelle L. Miller, first noticed her daughter’s interest in baking when Corin was in fifth grade.

“I noticed, day after day, she would turn on the Food Network channel,” Miller said.

At 11, Corin began operating her business from home, obtaining a license and certifying her kitchen for work.

Now, every ingredient is her own, including fondant used to produce McDonald’s Happy Meal-inspired cupcake toppers and icing and crème used for various other desserts.

Word-of-mouth advertising gained her initial success.

“When my parents [realized] this wasn’t just a lemonade stand for a summer, they started to see it could actually grow,” Corin said. “They saw this was something I really wanted, [so] my Dad thought giving me a Web site would be the next step.”

Now, Corin’s creations are sold from her Web site and at Terrace Café, a restaurant located across the street from her home.

She delivers cupcakes to the restaurant three times each week and prepares specialty orders for restaurant customers. She has shipped orders across the East Coast, attracting customers from places as far as New York City.

“Early, in the beginning, many people didn’t take her seriously, because she was 11,” Miller said.

Now, Miller said, people see her as a true talent.

Because Corin is home-schooled, her mother implements various culinary aspects into her everyday studies, including the calculation of ingredient measurements and fractions for math and the evaluation of recipes for reading. Corin also completes and files taxes for her business on her own.

Her favorite thing to make, she said, is her red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese icing. She especially enjoys working with fondant, a molding sugar, to add a creative touch.

Although her lifestyle is far more hectic than the typical 13-year-old, Corin balances her business among her studies, family and friends and divides her earnings into three parts: savings for college, funds to replenish her business and pocket profit.

After finishing high school, Corin plans to attend a four-year university and earn a degree in culinary arts. Later, Corin aspires to pursue an additional career as a pediatric surgeon.

Story: PHILLIP WYATT, Intern Lifestyles Reporter
Photo: HOLT MENZIES, Chief Photographer