Grove, 51, will tell you he’s 21 on the internet.
Baking is in Grove’s blood.
After he quit his IT job, his baking hobby moved closer to becoming a business when a friend persuaded Grove to work part-time at Williams-Sonoma.
One day, he got a call from the Arizona Department of Health Services: His cake was tasty but he lacked a permit for his home-baking.
He closed Wicked Bakery on Cave Creek Road almost a decade ago, and Wicked City Kitchen now sells solely at farmers markets and for local delivery in Peoria and Glendale.
Grove thinks the lack of a permanent storefront helped him through 2020, when many small businesses had to shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With many farmers markets closed, Wicked City Kitchen needed to find a new way to get out the word.
A former business partner, Aimee Rose, 37, of Phoenix, said it’s because “Slade is incredibly dedicated” that Wicked City works.
Not only is Wicked City Kitchen known for its decadent desserts, it also sells body-care products, including muscle balm and bath bombs, infused with CBD.
Grove has earned more than a dozen culinary awards and appeared on the local Fox, NBC and ABC affiliates.