Sweeten up your Valentine’s Day by ordering decadent treats from this local baker

ST. GEORGE —From charcuterie boxes and fondue kits to buffalo chicken fingers mac and cheese, this St. George woman is putting a whole new spin on ordering takeout.

Carol Burgess smiles for the camera inside her home in St. George, Utah on Feb. 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Carol Burgess smiles for the camera inside her home in St. George, Utah on Feb. 6, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

Carol Burgess has been baking and cooking up a storm for the past 22 years, providing Washington County residents with decadent items not found in local stores or shops. Her love for trying new things and meeting new people is what continues to inspire her.

“It makes me happy,” Burgess said. “I like a challenge — doing different things, making my own recipes. I really try to make different desserts and dinners not found in this area to switch things up.”

For Valentine’s Day this year, Burgess is offering white chocolate strawberry pie, charcuterie boxes — a best seller for two years in a row — sugar cookies with white chocolate, red velvet cake and chocolate-covered strawberries.

She also offers fondue boxes, which include everything one needs for a cheesy meal by simply heating it up.

“The fondue boxes are different and neat,” she said. “I don’t know anywhere you can get that here.”

White chocolate strawberry pie by Carol Burgess is shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Carol Burgess, St. George News
White chocolate strawberry pie by Carol Burgess is shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Carol Burgess, St. George News

She also makes elaborate cheesecakes, wedding and birthday cakes, cinnamon rolls, blueberry tarts and a variety of pies. Anything she sees and wants to create becomes part of her menu.

While Burgess does all the baking and presentation, she and her chef husband have recently collaborated to bring ready-to-go meals to the market.

Dinners have included homemade soup with fresh french bread, buffalo chicken fingers mac and cheese, tri-tip enchiladas with chipotle cream sauce, pork chops with cream cheese and chilis, smoked brisket baked potatoes and chili lime stuffed pineapples.

Also featured is Chicken Ariana — made with a pound of chicken breast sauteed in garlic and butter, served over linguini with a cherry tomato cream sauce.

“My husband loves to cook and sometimes it’s hard with both of us in the kitchen,” Burgess said while laughing. “I love it when people come over and say, ‘Thank you so much. I didn’t want to cook today.’ And sometimes I don’t want to either, but experimenting with recipes and meeting people has been my favorite part about this.”

Growing up, Burgess said when it came to Sunday dinners, she was in charge of making the gravy, which everyone raved about. While her mom wasn’t a baker, she later found out she was adopted and her birth mom loved to cook and bake as much as she does.

Custom chocolate covered strawberries by Carol Burgess are on display, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Carol Burgess, St. George News
Custom chocolate-covered strawberries by Carol Burgess are on display, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Carol Burgess, St. George News

“So I think it’s kind of in the genes,” she said. “My brother told me she baked and did pies and cakes and all kinds of things. That’s a fun trait I will always cherish.”

In college, she flunked out skipping school to bake with her boyfriend. When she met her now husband, a chef, her love for creating deliciousness continued.

Selling her items online began 22 years ago with her aunt’s fudge base recipe. While the recipe was good, she wanted to “take it up a notch” and create something of her own. Experimenting, she began selling her fudge on Facebook Marketplace. And it was a hit. She continued making a variety of holiday-themed treats such as chocolate mousse for Valentine’s Day.

“My phone kept going off, and we did 360 chocolate mousses,” she said. “There was nothing here that offered anything like that back in that time. We delivered them and my husband was so mad at me.”

Custom chocolate covered strawberries by Carol Burgess are on display, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Carol Burgess, St. George News
Custom chocolate-covered strawberries by Carol Burgess are on display, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Carol Burgess, St. George News

While her husband was in Afghanistan, Burgess said she made a different treat every week and continued selling on social media. Outside of the rave reviews on the taste, she’s also mastered the art of visual presentation, which means she won’t let anyone else assist her with desserts in the kitchen. 

While she has considered opening her own bakery, Burgess has enjoyed the freedom of working from home.

“I love doing my own business,” she said. “I love creating. I think creating is the most amazing thing that you can do. And it all stacks up on each other. You start with something and it grows bigger and bigger and I just love it.”

To purchase from the current menu or request a specific dinner or dessert from Carol Burgess, send her a Facebook Friend request and message her here.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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