Mr. Bake

Kareem Queeman

Chef/Owner

Inspired by his mother, the Black-owned bakeries in the Harlem neighborhood he grew up in and Queen Oprah, Kareem Queeman has built quite the reputation as a baker, community advocate, and TV bake show favorite. Kareem began his sweets journey at age 5 in the kitchen with his grandmother.

Kareem’s family would have family meetings where they would discuss family business, and strategies to help anyone in the family who might have been struggling. What made these meetings even more impactful on Kareem was they did all of that over good food. These family meetings would become Kareem’s earliest opportunity to bake for an audience. Black families don’t play about the dessert, and being allowed to help was a sign both his mother and grandmother saw something special in Kareem from an early age.

“Keep dreaming, keep believing, don’t let a closed-door stop the heartbeat of your passion, and goals.” is Kareem’s wish for everyone, including himself. This year he lives in his full-circle moment as a judge on Food Networks season 3 of Buddy vs Duff. In a behind-the-scenes clip for Food Network, Kareem shared his enthusiasm behind putting his former judges in the hot seat for a change. This brings to mind a Micheal Voltaggio quote, “a painter tells their story with paint, a musician with a piano, I tell my story food.” It is safe to say that in every Mr. Bake dessert there is genuine love, a desire to succeed, perfected skills, and the undeniable flavor Kareem himself is known for by loved ones, colleagues, and friends across every industry.