Owner of How Sweet It Is by Tim

Story by Lyda Kay Ferree, The Southern Lifestyles Lady. Photography by Kristina Only.

Tim Hayes is a native of Humboldt who lives in Jackson. He began his bakery business in his Humboldt home. Initially he decided to focus on cakes. His maternal grandmother loves to bake. She was Tim’s mentor in baking. He went to her house and watched her bake amazing pies and cakes. “Baking cakes is a gift that God gave me!,” said Tim.

While a student at Jackson State Community College, God told him to bake cakes. “That was a big change from my thinking I would like to be a trauma surgeon!” said Tim.

Later he moved to Orlando, Florida and attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts, which at the time was the number one culinary arts college in America. Tim’s degree at the two-year college in Orlando was in baking and patisserie art. (Julia Child, who is Tim’s favorite chef, put Le Cordon Bleu on the map. She attended Le Cordon Bleu in France.)

Tim is married to Elizabeth Williams Hayes, an Administrative Assistant at the Jackson Chamber of Commerce and a former Memphian. Tim met her at church where he is a minister and they dated for three years. The couple is expecting their first child in June.

Tim has published a book called “Release: A Deliverance Journal” to help readers release their emotions.

Tim opened his popular bakery—How Sweet It Is by Tim—on 24 Federal Drive off Carriage House Drive on July 14, 2021 (Tim’s birthday).

VIP: What attracted you to the field of baking?

Tim Hayes: My maternal grandmother, who is 76 going on 23. She loves life! She was my mentor in baking. I watched her bake amazing pies and cakes in her kitchen. She did not use measuring cups. Everything came out perfectly. As a child, I enjoyed mixing cakes and baking cookies and other sweet treats.

VIP: Is Valentine’s a busy season at your bakery and if so, what are fan favorites?

TH: My busiest season is the wedding season. I’m known for fabulous wedding cakes. June through November is my busiest season. I travel with my wedding cakes from Jackson to the Mississippi Delta and beyond. My bakery is known for its strawberry cake because I am from Humboldt. Red Velvet, carrot, coconut, banana and pistachio are some of my most popular cakes.

VIP: How far in advance must a bride-to-be schedule an appointment with you to discuss their wedding cakes?

TH: They must do a consultation with me a year in advance. I’m almost full this year. In June of last year I booked wedding cakes for this year. I’m already booking wedding cake orders for 2023.

VIP: Are cakes your signature items?

TH: Yes, wedding cakes in particular. I also have a signature Gooey cookie in lemon, butter, red velvet, chocolate and confetti flavors. My confetti cookie is my favorite. I don’t eat cake, but I love cookies.

“Opening my own bakery is a dream come true! I call my customers my family. They are my joys!”

— Tim Hayes, Owner, How Sweet It Is by Tim

VIP: Tell our readers about your experience on Food Network .

TH: Late one night I was watching Food Network and a message popped up about how to apply to be on the show. So at midnight I applied to be a guest on the show. The next day I received a phone call from New York inviting me to appear on a show because “we think you would be a great fit!” I was required to do an interview and prepare a dish to prove I could bake. A producer flew to Humboldt to take photographs of Humboldt, my hometown. I flew to New York, and we filmed at a bakery in New Jersey called Carlo’s Bakery. First place went to a forklift driver who beat me with a green-glazed donut.

VIP: Are you currently on any national TV baking shows?

TH: I am now on a show called Sugar Rush on Netflix as a contestant.

VIP: What are some of the favorite wedding cakes ordered by brides?

TH: The most popular wedding cakes are French vanilla, white chocolate, almond wedding cake, and strawberry (especially from Humboldt brides). Groom cakes are coming back this year. I am making my own wedding cake.

VIP: Should brides-to-be schedule an appointment with you to discuss their wedding cake?

TH: Yes, they must schedule a consultation and book about a year in advance. I’m almost full for this year. I booked for this year in June of last year, and I’m already booking for 2023.

VIP: What are the challenges of baking wedding cakes plus the logistics of delivering or transporting these cakes especially long distance like the trip you made to Indianola, MS in the Delta where you took the bride’s and groom’s cakes. Due to the rainy weather, however, the venue changed from the back yard of the groom’s parents to a wonderful old cotton gin. What a fun party! A friend and I attended this wedding reception, and your cakes were divine!

TH: This was a mini vacation for me! I baked all of the cakes in a local kitchen.

VIP: Do you have plans to expand your bakery to other cities?

TH: Yes, I have expansion plans. Recently I placed an order for pralines from The Savannah Candy Kitchen in Savannah, Georgia where my wife and I visited. (I fell in love with Savannah!)
The bakery in Jackson has blown my mind! I wish I could do more to the building, but I have other plans for this shopping center.

VIP: What are your hobbies?

TH: My wife and I travel a lot. We want to see new things. My favorite travel destination is Savannah, Georgia. My wife loves Charleston and 30A. We fell in love with Chattanooga.