Nationwide — Meet Inez Hudson, a 73-year-old African American grandmother from Lakeland, Florida, who sells homemade pies and cakes. After a TikTok video sharing her story went viral, she has been quickly selling out her baked goods.
“I do it all myself,” Hudson told Fox 13 News. “I got into baking when I was very young and it’s just something I like to do and I just started baking stuff, you know. As years went by, I kept baking and selling. I started doing this for the church.”
Since November 2018, she has sold her cakes and pies outside the grocery store. She sometimes wakes up around midnight to start baking, unsure if the next business day would be slow or a sell-out.
However, after a local named Mannie shared a heartwarming TikTok video of her story, people flocked to buy her cakes. The video, which Mannie created to support Hudson’s small business, has garnered nearly 800,000 views.
“That’s the main reason why I made it. Not to go viral for social media purposes. I just wanted local people to support each other because that’s the best rewarding experience,” Mannie said.
The owner of Super Choice Foods, Jimeld Zad, supports Hudson by offering her space free of charge.
Moreover, Hudson, who is selling cakes to supplement her fixed income after retiring, appreciates the surge in attention. Her newfound fame makes her a bit nervous but she remains optimistic.
“It makes me feel happy because I’ve been doing this for so long and it’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” Hudson said.
Though she dreams of having her own company, Hudson is content with her current simple setup.
