Kansas City’s new cake picnic is all about community, support
Sweet treats and more will be exchanged at an event that’s all about cake and creating bonds this Saturday.
For connections, community building and to bring an air of generosity, Jalyn Glasco Duru, a baker who owns a catering business, Catering by Jalyn, organized a cake picnic.
“Everyone’s been so stingy, like no one ever wants to share anything,” she said. “They want you to pay for it. That’s like one of my pet peeves.”
She wants to spread the message that “we’re all in this together,” she said.
Glasco Duru’s event is a spin on a social media trend created by Elisa Sunga, a baker and gardener in the San Francisco area. She organized a Cake Picnic Tour all over the world to share her love of cake. Kansas City didn’t make the tour list, but now Glasco Duru brings the event to the city.
The event is at Southmoreland Park, and bakers will begin to set up at 3 p.m. Every registered attendee will get a wristband for getting cake after checking in. The registration was online and free, but the event is now full.
Each attendee gets a box for cake, which Glasco Duru hopes will keep people from overindulging, she said.
To ensure health safety, each cake must have an ingredient list, or it won’t be allowed.
With 150 bakers expected and some bringing multiple cakes, it’s a large gathering but not overwhelming, with hopes of bolstering intimate conversations, said Glasco Duru.
Everyone can just spread out; they can enjoy eating cake, meeting new people, making connections with other bakers and gaining knowledge from everyone, she said.
All kinds of bakers
Professional, beginner, at-home bakers, and more —all levels of mastery were welcome to participate. Everyone has a different reason for wanting to participate, Glasco Duru said.
For business owners like herself, it’s an opportunity to spread the word about their businesses.
“Home bakers, some of them are fantastic. They just need the community to know that they’re there,” she said.
Bakers who love the activity as a creative hobby are just as motivated to show off their skills for their passion, Glasco Duru said.
“Everyone sending me emails and messages, explaining why they would like to contribute and why they would like to join has been making my day.”
Along with their different reasons, everyone is putting their own spin on a basic dessert. Glasco Duru’s sign-up form asked for details on what cake to expect. It revealed flavors and combinations the likes of which she had never heard of.
One of the flavors she’s looking forward to trying for the first time is black forest cake, a German cake that combines classic chocolate cake with notes of cherry, with a coating of whipped cream frosting
People are bringing more than cakes; some bakers signed up to bring cupcakes, brownies and cookies.
A midnight scroll manifestation
After seeing other events circulating social media, Glasco Duru decided to pour her time into creating this event for local bakers. It was a midnight thought that turned into an inspiration. In the moonlight a random day in June, she posted to Facebook to see who would be interested.
The feedback was immense, and she made a signup form the same night. In a week, it was fully booked up.
“I didn’t think the idea that came in the middle of the night would be so popular, and it’s just been so amazing,” Glasco Duru said. “The people are still sending requests.”
She didn’t charge for the event, which made the event a challenge to plan.
She had to find a park willing to accommodate all 150 guests in the span of four weeks. She paid $200 out of pocket to rent the event location. Getting the supplies to put on the event was another hurdle.
“If you don’t ask for help, you won’t get the help. I’ve been asking for people to lend me tables,” said Glasco Duru. “That has been a relief because tables are like $60.”
She’s met with local influencers to help spread the word about the event.
Her husband supports her, along with one of her friends who stepped up to help. She’s also met with local influencers to help spread the word about the event.
Her friend, who has experience coordinating Heartland International Fashion Week, brought on volunteers making the event more feasible.
Another challenge was having the time to organize everything on top of all the things on her plate. In addition to running her own business, she’s an undergraduate student at the University of Kansas City-Missouri, studying business entrepreneurship.
She first began as a criminal justice major in 2019, but grieving the loss of her father in 2021, she couldn’t continue after failing classes. She re-enrolled in 2025.
She also works 12-hour shifts at a hospital. Baking treats for patients and other staff, her passion touches most aspects of her life. Her business came in handy to make things happen for the event.
She traded her catering service for other services to make some things happen. She’s catering an event in September in exchange for someone to make arches and backdrops for the event.
Her business: Catering by Jalyn
Glasco Duru started baking in middle school. Always in sports like basketball and track, she would bring desserts and treats for her teams to long games and practices.
“I didn’t charge people for it because it’s just a passion that I enjoy to do, and in 2021, I was like, why not make it my business?”
Her entrepreneurial spirit was stroked by the fact that she didn’t want to work for anyone, and she wanted something to “put her all into” and reap the benefits of it, the baker said.
Since the start, she’s been slowly getting her business’ name out to the world.
Although she has her own business, she still learns from people who bake recreationally, she said. That’s among the reasons why she’s looking forward to her event this Saturday.
“I’m excited to experience something new, and learn how I can be a better baker, too,” Glasco Duru said.
She wants to do another event like this in the next two months. Now that she knows how to structure the event, it’ll be easier the second time around.