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Sunday, June 19, 2011 Father's Day & Juneteenth - Not Jus' Donuts Bakery Andrea & Rosharon along with Mike the Artist & Chef Theresa had the honor of being Celebrity judges at Project Row's 1st Annual Juneteenth "Peace of the Pie" Pie Baking Contest.  All the pies were very good & tasty but only 3 could win 1st Place: Peach & Blackberry Crisp 2nd: Buttermilk pie, & 3rd Bakeless Strawberry & Mango Tart & Honorary Mention: Lemon Meringue pie.  This was alot of fun as well as getting new lessons in the black culture, the sampling of each pie & the lite menu prepared by Chef Theresa with fresh hand grown fruit & vegetables.

May - June 2012 60th Edition of d-mars.com Business Journal

Not Jus’ Donuts Bakery

Myrtle Zachary Jackson has been the owner of Not Jus’ Donuts Bakery for the last 11 years. The business started in Dec 8, 2000. Starting her business was not easy because financing was not readily available. She had to start her business on a shoestring budget. As far back as she can recall good food has always been the focal point of her family gatherings. Usually on Sunday after church, the family gathered to showcase their culinary talents.  Jackson came from a family of good cooks and bakers. It has been her lifelong passion to recreate the foods and desserts that she grew up enjoying.  She knew she had to open a bakery to share with the world all the delicious desserts that her family shared. Since recipes were seldom used, she became an intense visual learner.  Her dad told her to try to identify what seasonings and spices were evident in the dish she was eating as a way to develop a recipe for that dish. Her next step was to put together a formula together and start experimenting with that formula until she got it exactly the way she remembered. After the recipes were perfected she wrote out recipes for their cook book.  Some of their recipes are nearly 200 years old, such as the Old Fashion Tea Cake. This recipe came from her great grandmother on her father’s side. She was a slave, born in Georgia.  In the late 1800’s she was brought to Texas, where started out as a field worker, but her gift for cooking and baking brought her inside the plantation owners kitchen. She cooked for this family until she retired.  Using these recipes in Not Jus’ Donuts Bakery has allowed her to spread the love and share her family secrets and traditions for cooking. Jackson says: “It has always been a joy to see customers smile, full of anticipation for a taste of heaven. It’s a family affair here, at one time each of my five children worked at the bakery. Currently two of my daughters, Andrea and Rosharon, are working with me along with three of my granddaughters Jasmine, Gabrielle and Kryslin and one of my grandsons Tre’.” She is currently working on a cookbook and hopes to get it published in the near future. They are planning on opening a Coffee and Ice Cream Bar at the bakery in spring 2012 where they will offer free Wi-Fi. Other shortterm goals are getting some of their products manufactured and distributed to grocery stores throughout the region. They will also desire to expand their wedding cake business by selling unique cake toppers, flowers, and exotic designs.  They have been faced with many challenges but because of their shared love, tenacious spirit and faith in God they have kept moving forward.

 Andrea Spears is the oldest daughter of Jackson. She is the head baker and wedding cake artist. She has a deep passion for baking and entrepreneurship has always been in her blood.  Her mother called a family meeting back in 1995 and revealed that she wanted to start a bakery. Spears and her siblings all laughed at the idea but for the next few weeks she couldn’t stop thinking about it. She started researching the baking industry. Her other’s vision was infectious because she caught the baking bug; her vision became Spears vision. They worked on creating a business plan and the rest is history. She says: “I will advise anybody who wants to go into business to do the research before forging on into business and you must have a business plan. You have to know your industry and keep current on the trends for your industry.” Spears doesn’t have formal training in baking or decorating but she has been baking since she was 10 years old. Cake decorating came naturally for her, she sometimes amazes herself. She thanks God for giving her the creativity and vision to be an excellent baker. Before trading in her suits and heels for an apron and hairnet; she was working for a major oil and gas company. Spears had a great career, but she attests that there is nothing like working with the family you love.

 Rosharon Cotton is Jackson’s youngest daughter. She is the head cake artist at Not Jus’ Donuts Bakery. She enjoys decorating cakes and making customers happy. As a young child she would bake and decorate cookies for the holidays. When she became a teenager, she started baking and frosting cakes for her family. She has over 30 years of baking experience and 24 years of decorating experience. Cotton was on maternity leave when Jackson opened Not Jus’ Donuts Bakery. Her mom asked her if she would help out with the bakery’s deliveries; which she did but deliveries were slow. She then started frosting and prepping the cakes on a part-time basis. Cotton says, “Before I knew it I was decorating fulltime. Although I joke about being trapped into the bakery business, I really enjoy doing what I do.   

Not Jus' Donuts Bakery

“A Taste of Heaven”

Not Jus’ Donuts Bakery  has a lot to offer your sweet tooth, just stop by and check it out for yourself. They are located at 2020 Dowling or give them a call at    713-951-9211. Their door is always open for growling stomachs and friendly faces!