Chambless Kalka built an Atlanta-based business with grit and grace, designing fashion-forward styles to suit young women.
Story by Cara Clark
There’s a reason the saying, “You can’t have your cake and eat it, too,” describes an elusive ideal — once the cake is eaten, it’s no longer whole and beautiful. Yet, this age-old truth, dating back to a 16th-century letter from a British nobleman, has been delightfully upended by Chambless Kalka, a determined entrepreneur from Atlanta, Georgia.
In her quest to find stylish, age-appropriate clothing for her daughters, Chambless noticed a glaring gap in the market: fashion for young women that wasn’t overly mature. Confident she could fill this void with vibrant, fun designs that honored this unique stage between adolescence and adulthood, she launched what would become Cake For Dinner — now a thriving fashion label resonating with young women across the country.
The brand was born during a deeply personal and challenging chapter in Chambless’s life, a story she shares openly to uplift others facing adversity.
“I was in a not-so-ideal situation at home,” she says. “I’d been out of the workforce for 12 years, taking care of my children, and you become irrelevant quickly. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. I needed to do something, and it needed to be big. I was brainstorming, and when my daughter went from a school that required uniforms to one that didn’t, I thought, ‘This is it. This is a problem that needs to be solved. I don’t know how we’re going to get there, but I know it can be done.’”
