Rob:  Well from baking cakes in her kitchen one year to selling them around the country the next, Richelle Jacks is a good example of how even the smallest of businesses can have a broad clientele, thanks to the Internet.  Our Lisa Riley takes us to Ada, Oklahoma, to meet the maker of Hottie Toddie Cakes.
Lisa:  Peachy Peach Brandy, Ooh La La Orange Candy or Lacy Lemon Liqueur, these are just some of the catchy names for Hottie Toddie Cakes.  A company founded and owned by Richelle Jacks that specializes in baking one of a kind liquor cakes.
Richelle Jacks:  I just wanted that specialty, you know, dessert; because everyone loves dessert.  And I just thought that would be something that everyone would love.  And everyone likes to try something different, and mine are definitely one of a kind.
Lisa:  Jacks, who was raised in the South, grew up in and around the kitchen with her German mother and Southern father who ran a family owned bakery; but Jacks was most inspired by her mother’s baking techniques.
Richelle:  I’ve always worked with her, and I realized I had the same desire of baking cakes, and then I noticed that she puts liquor and liqueur in her cakes and cheese cakes and torts, and I like that specialty taste that the liquor and liqueur gives desserts.  So I decided that I wanted to go with that.
Lisa:  So she began perfecting her very own cake recipes, incorporating liquors like rum or bourbon.  Twenty years later, her business was born; but why Hottie Toddie?
Richelle:  In the south, Hottie Toddie is a common phrase, and I thought that the ‘toddie’ fit the liquor theme.
Lisa:  And with the help of Stacey Golightly, Pontotoc Tech’s Small Business Coordinator, Jacks is able to spread that southern charm nationally, by being just a click away.
Stacey Golightly:  Being a small rural technology center we wear many hats.  If a business needs a business plan or a marketing plan or quick books, or if they need any assistance, then I try to help them; if I can’t help them, then I find the resources for them so their business can be successful.
Richelle:  Stacey developed my whole website, and that made my business go forward, and that was my whole goal.  And, she has helped me with my marketing and support and everything that I’ve needed, you know, to make my business, you know, where I wanted it to be.
Lisa:  And successful they are.  Hottie Toddie Cakes are shipped straight from her commercial kitchen in Ada, Oklahoma, to all 50 states upon demand.  Each cake is made to order and wrapped personally by Jacks.
Richelle:  They’re made with a lot of love and a lot of attention.  They’re not manufacturer made, and I think that is what makes them taste so good.
Lisa:  The perfect gift for anyone who would like to have their cake and drink it too.
Rob:  Now while Hottie Toddie does not have a store front, you can order any of her six cakes online at HottieToddieLiquorCakes.com.  And let me tell you, they’re pretty good.