Born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, Sarah Duggan-Chalk has been baking since she was 10 years old, The 5th of 7 brothers and sisters, Oreo's and Pinwheel's were a costly indulgence for such a large brood. So, needless to say, birthday cakes were always home-baked and neighborhood kids always clamored for chocolate chips cookies at the Duggan House!
Sarah's grandmother, Opal Bailey, was instrumental in developing Sarah's love for baking. Grandma Bailey always baked wonderful cakes for visits from the grandchildren, made creamy, dreamy home-made fudge and divinity every Christmas and while she no longer bakes, as she is 94 , she has the sweetest spirit still. Just as she did all those years ago in her little kitchen, surrounded by grandkids as she baked M & M cookies, waiting on her next turn at Monopoly.
Many of Sarah's recipes are those handed down from her great-grandmother, Sarah Dinkens, Grandma Bailey's mother, and after whom Sarah was named.
Sarah is mother to 7 sons, ranging in age from 2 to 17.
"My dream has been realized... I have wonderful sons. To earn a living baking, which I LOVE to do, makes that dream complete!"
~Love Mom!
As the wheels on the bus were going round and round, one of Sarah Chalk's seven boys was becoming quite an entrepreneur.
"I baked cookies all the time and they'd carry them to school," Chalk said. "I didn't know it, but he was selling them on the bus. The kids would be saying, 'Dude, where's your mom's cookies? Bring the cookies -- they're killer.'"
Well, wouldn't you know the Southaven resident has an online bakery business and it's called Mom's Killer Cakes and Cookies.
"That just kind of was the little seed," Chalk said of her son's cookie venture. "I hope that this is what God wants me to do. I feel like I'm being led to do this. It's just whatever we can do to make this ship stay afloat."
Around her home, the process of preparing cookies isn't just one-and-done.
"Whenever I make a batch ... there's nine of us, so we always had a house full of kids," Chalk said. "When my sons bring any of their friends over, I make a quadruple batch. That's just standard.
"I'll tell them, 'Get 'em,' and I'll come in here (the kitchen) and I'm like, 'Hey man, I wanted one,' and they're gone."
Those visiting the Web site (momskillercakesand cookies.com) are greeted by a smiling child from the '50s.
"That's just been my inspiration; my driving force," Chalk said. "I just love that era, and I think with my baking, it's just home. It brings the family closer together."
Cupcake pops are a big hit for the youngsters at Lollipops Skating Center in Southaven.
"Everybody goes crazy over those," she said. "I do those in bouquets and different flavors. I've done some like Sesame Street characters. Those are my specialty."
While Elmo and Big Bird might be easy to request by name, her cake creations can be tongue-twisting at times. Try saying Jonni Bell's Banana Bonanza five times fast.
"I loved doing the descriptions," Chalk said. "Uncle Taft's Fancy Schmancy Tea Cakes -- I loved being able to take liberties with everybody's name. When people order cakes, I don't go through the spiel, but I think it's fun. I like to add that creativity."
Said Sarah's husband, Keith: "She's very good at baking. She's got a knack for it. Anything I can do to help her succeed at it, I'll do it.
"I've gotten away from the 'Help her on one, eat one. Help her on one, eat one.'"
On the way to achieving full stomachs, the workload is oftentimes demanding.
"We've been up some nights until 4 o'clock and delirious," Sarah said. "It's crazy, but we've started to get the kids involved a little bit. If they can cut a straight line, they're hired."
With all hands on deck, Chalk is fulfilling a dream.
"To be able to do this, to meet people," she said. "If I can make this work, that's just ... I've won the lottery."
-- Chris Van Tuyl: (901) 333-2018
