Compton native Cheyenne Brown remembers the exact moment she fell in love with funnel cakes. It was during her cousin’s birthday party at Knott’s Berry Farm when Brown was only 10 years old.
“I just remember seeing people walking around with this cake, and you can smell the vanilla batter in the air,” she tells BLACK ENTERPRISE.
Funnel cakes are a core childhood memory for Brown, representing celebratory moments. When she finally got a car in college, she traveled to an amusement park about 30 minutes away from her home in Compton, paid for parking and a park ticket simply to purchase a funnel cake to celebrate the end of midterm exams. That’s why it comes as no surprise that when it was time to give back to her community of Compton, she decided to give them the sweetest thing she’s ever known.
From Miss Compton To The Queen of Funnel Cakes
The long drives outside of Compton for a funnel cake ignited a new mission for Brown, who began thinking about ways to give back to Compton, her first love.
Giving back was instilled in Brown at a very young age as she competed in various beauty pageants in Los Angeles as a toddler. She took a hiatus from pageant life in middle school until the Miss Compton competition was announced. For the first time in years, Brown felt compelled to enter the competition.
“The mission really stuck with me,” said Brown. “It was about changing the negative stereotypes attached to Compton. I wanted to be a part of that.”
Gangs. Violence. Illiteracy. These are just some of the misconceptions about Compton that frustrated a young Brown.
“A lot of talent comes out of Compton. We are a driven community that may be small, but it’s mighty,” she added. “I think people forget that Compton is situated in the middle of all of Los Angeles. We are truly the heart of the county.”
Her love and passion for Compton is what propelled her to win the title of Miss Compton in 2014. Despite all the excitement from winning the pageant, Brown continued to think about community service. She didn’t want the work to stop, which is the foundation of her funnel cake pop-up and brand Fun-Diggity Funnel-Cake Mix.
From the Crown To The Cart
After driving nearly 30 miles in one day for a funnel cake, Brown decided it was time to bring the fried-dough treat to
her neighborhood outside of seasonal fairs and the long trips to amusement parks. It was also time for Brown to make some money in college. For six months straight, Brown went on a learning spree to perfect funnel cakes. Then, in 2016, she pitched the idea of a funnel cake pop-up shop to her mom while she was a senior. The first pop-up event was at Brown’s mom’s home.“[The pop-up] was amazing,” Brown recalled of her first one. “I think it had a lot to do with me already having a platform and being a public figure in my community. The event started with just friends and family because I was still nervous. I had a lot of self-doubt.”
Her support system gave her the encouragement she needed because soon after, she started an Instagram account, where the brand took off thanks to word of mouth and community support. Five years after launching Fun-Diggity Funnel-Cakes, she created Fun-Diggity Funnel-Cake Mix in 2021, thanks to a grant from Grid110.
For Brown, creating a retail product from scratch meant navigating a new world that she felt was a necessary pivot amid the pandemic.
“I used that grant money to find a manufacturer and create a formula,” said Brown. “I’m a self- entrepreneur. So, all of this was new to me, but it allowed my customers to be immersed in the process with me from day one.”
Creating a funnel cake formula is just the beginning for Brown and her plans. She is also currently working on a vegan funnel cake mix recipe, which was made possible from prize money she received from participating in the second season of the reality show 60 Day Hustle. Brown and other entrepreneurs were competing for $100,000. They had access to experts, investors, mentors, and millionaires, who taught them valuable lessons for scaling their companies.
“I learned how to articulate my message because I had never pitched my brand to investors before,” said Brown. “I learned a lot about articulating my message, how to make things clear and concise, and how to focus.”
Brown walked away as a finalist, earning a $12,500 grant from ZenBusiness. This win validated everything she has been building. While she didn’t take home the top prize, she will be the first to tell you that she gained the ability to speak her brand’s language fluently.
As for what’s next for Brown, she wants Fun-Diggity Funnel-Cakes to be a household name. Similar to what Jiffy is to cornbread, she wants Fun-Diggity Funnel-Cake mix to be to funnel cakes.
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