These are some, you guessed it, questions that are frequently asked… and their answers, natch!

Are y’all moving to Midtown?

I moved this question to the top because it’s by far the question we’re getting asked the most! The Memphis rumor mill has gotten it only partly right; we DID open a kitchen space in Midtown that we use to help out with the baking. If you’ve seen the shop, you’ve seen our TINY kitchen and we just can’t bake enough in it. So, in order to have a little more lovin’ we need a little more oven!
We are still in our Sanderlin location and still baking loads of treats here all the time.  I hope that clears it up!

What kind of a name is “Muddy”?

Jayne Bond by Clare Torina

“Muddy” was my mom’s mom, Jayne Bond, who passed away when I was a child.  My mom said there was always a cake on the kitchen counter about to be taken to someone-  friends, family, someone in the hospital or a home, etc.  It was her way of making a difference in someone’s day.  Since that’s pretty much the whole reason we’re doing this business, it seemed a fitting tribute!

Where are you?

We are in a little shopping center at 5101 Sanderlin in Memphis, TN 38117 in the Clark Tower area. We do not actually face Sanderlin, so if you’re on Sanderlin and thinking, “where the heck are these sneaky bakers?” turn at The Fox and the Hound and we’re in the same center.

Our other neighbors are True Salon, Napa Café, Oak Court Salon, Bikram Yoga, Peter Poole,  Mona Spa, Bella Bridesmaid, Subway, Timna, and J. Nails.

When are you open?

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 11am-9pm
Friday and Saturday 11am-11pm

We are closed Sundays, Mondays, Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas Day and the week following, and the Fourth of July. We sometimes will observe special hours during religious holidays; these dates will always be posted in advance.

Why aren’t you open on Sundays and Mondays? I want my sugar fix!!!

Because Jesuuuuus don’t make no cupcakes on Sunday (sung all blues-y like).

Actually, loads of small bakeries in the United States are closed on Sundays and Mondays, like hair salons and other small businesses that are open on Saturday. We still have a full day of prep-work on Mondays and if we were open on Mondays, then my staff and I would need to be working on Sundays to prepare. It is important to us to observe the Lord’s Day as well as keep our lives and priorities balanced by setting aside time for our families.

Why aren’t you open in the morning?

Since we focus on dessert baked goods, we offer them to people as an option after dinner rather than as an option for breakfast. If you want a slice of cake for breakfast, I totally sympathize with you, but most people eat cake after dinner.

If you need to pick up a special order before 11am, we can set up an early-pick up for you, just let us know at the time you place your order.

How long have you been open?

We opened our doors February 29th, 2008. We’re a leap baby!

What forms of payment do you accept?

We take cash, of course, and we also accept most charge cards (Visa, Amex, Mastercard, Discover) with a photo id.
We ask for id with a charge card because we feel it’s important for us to do our small part to protect our customers’ identities. We do ask everyone to flash id, even our regulars, in order to not get accused profiling. Thank you for understanding!

Why don’t you take checks?

My dad got tired of calling people and being like, “hey, do you have $30 lying around? … cause it’s not in your bank account. It’d be cool if you could come pay us for your cake.” I don’t blame him; it’s an awkward convo.

How many cupcakes/ cookies/ etc can I purchase as a walk-in?

Our limit is 3 dozen per customer. We can only bake a certain amount each day so if you need more than 3 dozen, we ask that you please place an advance order so that there are enough goodies for everyone. Share and share alike!  Most comparable bakeries have a limit of one dozen, so we feel that this is pretty generous!

Do you make doughnuts?

Nope. If you’re jonesin’ for some yummy doughnuts, we suggest Gibson’s on Mendenhall. We love them!  Old-fashioned blueberry… mmmmm.

What about breads?

Yes: we make quick-breads like banana-nut, cranberry-orange, etc. by special order.
No: we do not make yeasted breads like sourdough, rye, etc, but we recommend Ricki’s in Eastgate… she makes a wicked-good challah!

Do you make wedding cakes?

grasshopper cake

You are welcome to serve our cakes at a wedding, and we’ve definitely had people use our cupcakes at weddings, but we do not do traditional wedding cakes, nor do we use fondant.

Do you decorate cakes and cupcakes?

We are a homestyle bakery and we don’t do heavy decoration (guitars, roses, Hogwarts castle…), however we’d be more than happy to write an inscription on your cake and load it up with an assortment of sprinkles.  We can also write one letter on each cupcake.

You are also welcome to bring in toppers, candies, etc for us to place on them if there’s something specific you’d like.

Do you make cupcake cakes?

Nope. Try Costco or Kroger.  If you’re wondering what a cupcake cake is… go here.

Is Muddy’s a kid-friendly environment?

We love children; they’re delicious with buttercream icing. Haha, just kidding…

We have board games, kids’ books, and we freely give out paper and crayons and even display the art.

We want you and your children to have a fun time here, but we do ask that you treat our shop the way you would treat our home. We want to be happy to see your family walk in the door and sad to see you go, not the other way around. We also ask you to please respect the enjoyment of fellow patrons and keep your well-behaved child with you at all times… this ain’t Chucky Cheese, folks!

Can I book a party at Muddy’s?

Not at this time.

What kind of bakery runs out of baked goods?

The good kind. Duh.
Here’s the dealio: consumers have been brainwashed to expect that EVERYTHING is mass-produced and shelf-stable and that there is an endless supply of everything “in the back.”

We are a small family bakery specializing in FRESH yummy desserts. We don’t use pre-made mixes (many bakeries do!); we measure our own flour, roll our own pie dough, and break our own eggs.  We don’t use preservatives that make our cakes last forever and you can definitely taste that homemade goodness in every bite.  Here’s the trade-off: we don’t have miles of freezers “in the back” and aisles of ready-to-go goods.  Nor do we have an invisible army of oompa loompas churning out pies by the hundreds…

So if you come in and we’re out of what you were craving, we apologize, but we can only make so much each day!

May I place a pre-order?

Yes. Yes! YES! We LOVE pre-orders. (we cannot however take same-day orders; if you need something Right Now, it’s luck of the draw, first come first serve, whatever you want to call it!)

You may have noticed that our flavors and goods change from day to day, so if you want something specific or know you’ll need a large quantity, the best thing for everyone is to place an order. We’ll be so happy we might just kiss you

… just remember, when we’re booked, we’re booked.  “Booked” means that all 24 hours of a day are allocated and we are incapable of inventing a 25th hour, even if Sean Connery called and wanted a cake!

How/when/why should I place a special order?

Please click here to find out!

Do y’all deliver or ship?

No.  I used to deliver, back when this was a catering side-business. We also do not ship our baked goods.  If you plan to ship our items, please ask us which ones travel well and which don’t (for example: banana bread yes, cupcakes no!).

Do you discount for bulk?

Nope; we make our goodies with the same great ingredients and same kick-ass awesomeness regardless of whether you’re getting 1 or 500!

What about special dietary needs?

Right now we are pretty much a nutty, sugary, wheaty, eggy bakery, although we do have a few vegan items available for special order.

One of our primary goals for 2010 is to compile a good collection of basic items to meet these needs, however see the guideline below. Also, if you have some kick-A recipes for special diet needs, we would LOVE to try them out.

Can you guarantee something is wheat/peanut/whatever-free?

No. This is a small bakery and we can’t 100% guarantee that an item (even one made without flour, peanuts, etc.) hasn’t had some contact with that ingredient. It’s Millennial America- you get it.

How should I store my baked goods?

Our goodies are meant to be eaten the day of purchase, however here are some tips if you plan to save them for later:

Cake and cupcakes should usually be stored at room temperature in an airtight container (Tupperware, cake dome, several layers of Saran wrap…) away from heat.  The exceptions to this are cakes made with boiled icing (like coconut); these should be refrigerated.

Most pies are best stored in the refrigerator.

Cookies are fine stored in an airtight tin or Ziploc bag at room temperature.

Please remember, our goods are not made with lots of preservatives and artificial ingredients to make them stay moist for days, so please don’t store them long!

My (insert yummy baked item here) doesn’t look absolutely identical to the last one I got… what gives?

mopsy cupcakes

Easy. We hand-make every single item from scratch. We strive for consistency, but without resorting to huge machines, mass-production methods, and automaton workers, there will always be some variation. We think this is charming and authentic, but we’re also totally biased.

I saw an apron for sale here that I loved, but someone else must have loved it too, because it’s not here anymore. Can you order me another one?

Sort-of. All the aprons are hand-made here in Memphis by individuals (Love for Sale – we love you!), not mass-production machines (notice a trend here?), so while Maggie and Ellen may be able to reproduce the pattern, the fabric depends on availability. Basically, no two aprons are exactly alike, but if you have your sweet little heart set on something, they’ll do their best to work with you!

Can I nominate a non-profit for the ROCWPC (refill our community with positive change) jar? (say THAT three times fast!)

Yes, please! Click this link to find out how.

My school/organization is having an auction/soliciting donations of goods or gift certificates. Will Muddy’s donate?

See the link in the question above!

Are you hiring?

That depends; do you think being covered in flour and chocolate sounds fun?

Check out all hiring info RIGHT HERE!

Who painted that fabulous portrait of Muddy?

A very gifted artist named Clare Torina. Clare studied art at the University of Memphis (local artist- woot!) and is available to do portraits of you, your family, your dogs, or your dead grandmother (yay Muddy!), etc. She rocks. Check out her website!

So why did you get into the bakery business?

A lot of reasons. First, some reasons we DIDN’T go into the business: none of us are bakers to get rich (which is a good thing, because we’d be in for some real disappointment…). We aren’t bakers because we thought it’d be easy (those people get weeded out pretty quickly in this industry!).  And we aren’t bakers in order to eat sweets all day… well, that’s not the whole reason at least…
As for why we do it, we love feeling super-productive and going home tired, knowing that we gave our very best. We like being creative with food and interacting with other people.  Memphis is a great place to interact with people because we are blessed with so much character; everyone here has a story! We also are bakers because we enjoy active employment; we’re always moving, stirring, reaching, and bending. I know it sounds exhausting (it is!) but it’s also wonderful to feel like you’re really WORKING. Finally, we’re bakers because as individuals we consciously chose careers where we could serve others through food and shared experience.

Our goals are simple: make enough money to support a simple lifestyle, enjoy our work, give back to the community, make a product we’re proud of,  honor the Lord, and make your day a little brighter!

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I hope this covers most of the questions. If you have a question I haven’t addressed or just a comment or suggestion, I’d love to hear from you. You can email me by using the contact form or call the shop at 901.683.8844!

~Kat