Evette Brumfield fondly recalls the afternoons she’d leave her fifth-grade classroom at Hazlehurst Elementary and wind her way up Gallatin Street to her favorite afterschool hangout, Tutty’s Place. She was Evette Clark then, and Tutty’s, a full-service restaurant owned and operated by her parents, was her namesake. Memories like that make owning her own bakery today – just yards away from that very spot – pretty special.

And while the menu at Brummi’s Yummies has little in common with yesteryear’s Tutty’s catfish and fixings, Evette and her husband, Derrick, say they’ve benefitted greatly from her parents’ business expertise. “They told us about the legal steps. They advised me to keep a short menu and gave other tips that meant more profit. It’s the kind of knowledge you can’t pay for, the first-hand kind,” she explains.

Comments like that got my attention during a recent interview I conducted with the young couple. Beneath all the talk of signature frostings like caramel latte and coconut bliss, there were repeated references to a strong family work ethic and small town loyalty.

And then there was the love component. All good narratives contain some romance, right?

It seems the Brumfields’ sweet story began over one of Derrick’s strawberry cakes 14 years ago. Little did he know that one day he’d opt out of his career as a mechanic and begin baking those cakes by the dozen so that Evette, a former educator, could follow up with her decorating magic. So what’s it like now, working together as spouses?

“It’s easy when it’s your best friend,” Evette answers, flashing her husband a smile. “We have a professional atmosphere at the store. I’m still excited to go home.”

But neither true love nor the brick-street ambiance of downtown Hazlehurst distinguishes Brummi’s Yummies as much as the quality of its baked goods.

“We don’t skimp on the good stuff,” Evette points out. Fresh eggs and the finest baking chocolates are standards, as well as pure vanilla extract and lots of butter. On the morning I visited, Evette was finishing a four-tier wedding cake with buttercream frosting, something she does about five times a week.

“I went to YouTube University and got my doctorate,” Evette jokes, explaining her learning curve after opening their doors in 2014. “At first I was terrified, then I realized it was just a piece of cake. I can start over. I had to stop being afraid of the cake.” She says deliveries are the most challenging part of their work now. “I’m putting something fragile that I’ve worked on for a week into the back of a car and driving for up to four hours. That freaks me out,” she admits.

In a town where Walmart renders the only other bakery services, business at Brummi’s is brisk. So brisk, in fact, that they’ve added a second location in Crystal Springs. According to customer data obtained by Square, the business’s accounting system, 60 percent of the eatery’s sales are repeat business. The Brumfields like that.

“That means our customers are happy with what they’re eating and are returning for more,” Evette points out. “That’s our goal.”

But it’s not just locals snapping up “Oh My Oreo” cupcakes and hand-dipped strawberries. With almost 10,000 followers on Instagram, Brummi’s Yummies’ reputation is growing, especially that of Derrick’s cheesecakes. “I enjoy the freedom of having my own business and experimenting with new tastes in the kitchen. Right now I’m trying to come up with a cheesecake line that we can ship and get into stores,” he says.

And based on the red velvet version I sampled, let’s hope that happens soon.

Wesson resident Kim Henderson is a freelance writer who writes for The Daily Leader. Contact her at kimhenderson319@gmail.com.