We stan a Duchess that gives back, and Meghan Markle is that Duchess even on her birthday.
The royal and new mom celebrated turning 38 in early August with a cake from Luminary Bakery, an East London-based social enterprise that helps empower disadvantaged women, including those who are homeless, and survivors of domestic violence.
"When I applied for this job I did not expect that I'd be making a cake for Duchess Meghan Markle," Caoimhe Bennett, a baker at Luminary, told Good Morning America. "That was pretty crazy.”
The cake was a three-layer carrot cake, topped with orange peel garnishes. “Happy Birthday Meghan” was written across it in chocolate.
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Thanks so much to Alice Williams and the awesome team at @LuminaryBakery in London for letting us join them last weekend as they created Duchess Meghan’s beautiful carrot birthday cake? @GMA story on the bakery and their incredible work here: https://t.co/1l9Uhww1rr pic.twitter.com/TVvtZhybEx
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) August 9, 2019
Luminary Bakery was founded by Alice Williams in 2014 and has helped more than 60 women get back on their feet since the program’s inception, according to their 2019 impact report. The bakery offers skills training and 10 women have gone on to open their own business. Even better, past program participants reported that they saw an 83% increase in self-esteem and a 62% increase in mental health.
Luminary was featured in the issue of British Vogue that Markle guest edited.
"To have someone like the Duchess acknowledge us and champion us is incredible," Williams told GMA. "I think it will open a lot of doors for us. There's so many more women that need opportunities.”