Page 90 - South Mississippi Living - May, 2024

THE COTTAGE
story and photos by Kimberly C. Rasmussen
What comes to mind when you think of a Cottage Kitchen? A sweet little old lady, wearing her best apron, baking cakes and pies all the day long? Or did you even know such a thing exists? Because they certainly do!
Cottage kitchens are nothing new, but they continue to grow as a method for bakers, cooks, and entrepreneurs to produce high-quality and delicious products without the added costs of unnecessary overhead. Regulated very closely by the Mississippi Department of Health, cottage kitchens act as a retail venue, allowing the operator to work out of their private home. Limitations exist on the types of foods which can be sold, as well as a ceiling on how much in yearly sales one can make, but if you look beyond all the red tape, a cottage kitchen is a perfect place to start and grow your business. That’s exactly what one coastal resident has done.
Jessica “Mud” McBeth, founder and owner of Mississippi Mud Cakes is one of the Coast’s newest cottage bakers. Nicknamed “Mud” as a child on account of just how fast, well, slow, she ran. McBeth needed a sanctuary where she could introduce more people to Mississippi Mud Cakes and since she began, she’s had no time to slow down!
McBeth’s recipes are originals, and everything is made from scratch in her cottage kitchen. With every bite, you can easily taste the love that has gone into constructing each masterpiece. The Chocolate Dream is a crowd favorite where layers of chocolate sponge are
iced with chocolate American buttercream, drizzled with chocolate ganache and topped off with edible gold dust. Mini Monster Cookies filled with vanilla bean or chocolate icing are definitely a kid favorite with the Brookie, a perfect combination of brownie and cookie, being a non-cake showstopper. Her latest adaptations of cakes and cupcakes using Biscoff Cookie Butter have become immediate in- demand items, but the Buttermilk Vanilla Chocolate Chip Cake is an absolute game changer.
McBeth says that operating out of a cottage kitchen has been an incredible blessing for her baking journey. With over 20 years in
the baking industry, her cottage kitchen is run like a restaurant. She prides herself on keeping her ServSafe certification up to date, as well as following all the rules and guidelines to keep Mississippi Mud Cakes performing at its utmost best.
For entrepreneurs like McBeth, cottage kitchens can be the perfect gateway to make their culinary dreams a reality.
Success stories like hers continue to inspire home
cooks across the Coast and beyond.
For more information on cottage kitchens, including FAQs, visit www.msdh.ms.gov.
Mississippi Mud Cakes
Gautier, MS 601.543.5151 • Facebook @msmudscakes
Founder and Owner, Jessica McBeth making some of her specialties.
90 | May 2024
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