Barbara Toms of Sweet Creations Bakery

Ms. Barbara Toms grew up on fried pies. “We would take the circle of dough and fill it with apples, peaches whatever, fold it over and deep fry it.” She got it honest. Her dad had a long culinary career working for the railroad as a cook, in various restaurants, and eventually as chef at Belle Meade Country Club until he retired. Her mother too, was a great baker. Though Barbara always loved to cook, she really got inspired to start making pies when sifting through her mother’s handwritten recipes after her passing. She stumbled upon a pecan pie that though she didn’t remember eating, drew her in. She committed it to memory—which was serendipitous, since sadly, all of her mother’s recipes were later lost in a kitchen fire. That special pecan pie (with a few tweaks) is what started Sweet Creations Bakery.

Her friend, Sharon Hurt, requested that Barbara make that pie for her friend’s birthday—the recipient just so happened to be the VP of snack sales at Mapco Gas Stations. He raved about it, and shortly thereafter she was in all the Mapcos in the region. Though Barbara hadn’t baked as a profession—she practiced law for 25 years and a few years ago and her Divinity degree from Vanderbilt—she’s seen her careers “surprisingly, all intersect” she says. The law drove me to the Lord and the pies help me start a conversation.” She believes pies level the playing field, “everyone can have a conversation over a piece of pie.”