FEATURE | The Cake
PUFFY MUFFIN ALI BURNS AND HER SON, MATTHEW BURNS Puffy Muffin Dessert Bakery and Restaurant, now celebrating their 30th year in business, remains an integral part of Williamson County culture. “I’m humbled each time I read some of the lovely posts we receive on our social media threads,” says Lynda Stone, Founder and CEO. “It astounds me and reminds me that we are fulfilling our mission at Puffy Muffin. Some of the most memorable comments to me have been, ‘We can’t imagine a holiday without Puffy Muffin side dishes and casseroles at our table,’ and “This was my late mother’s favorite place to go and still holds a special place in our heart,’ and ‘We feel that Puffy Muffin is a mainstay in our town.’ Comments like these are cherished and affirm the reason our family-owned business operates with a servant heart to our community. We are truly grateful for the intimate connection we have made with our guests. In a world where large conglomerates are taking the place of our small, family businesses, we are thankful for the trust our community has in us,” says Lynda. “It’s incredibly important to shop local so that we keep this unique, nostalgic, small-town feel here in Tennessee.” Lynda’s daughters, Ali Burns and Kristi Elzinga (both Owners & Managing Partners), were always by Lynda’s side, when Lynda started her business in her home back in 1986. An industrial mixer (that is still being used daily in their Brentwood location), double ovens and a proofer were brought into their home kitchen in order to keep up with the demands of the business. After only one year, Lynda and her husband, Jack, realized this dream was growing into something much bigger than what they could sustain in their home. It was at that time that the Lord presented an opportunity (as He has continued to do over all these 30 years!), and it became evident they should take the next step in moving their family business into the locally owned Huff’s grocery store. Over the years, the cherished recipes from family and friends have intertwined into the signature menu of Puffy Muffin cuisine.
72 YOURWILLIAMSON.COM | Winter 2016
GRATEFULLY CELEBRATING 30 YEARS
Nowadays, Lynda concentrates most of her time at Puffy Muffin on leadership training, mentoring and developing their future vision. Kristi and Ali now take the reigns and Puffy Muffin has moved seamlessly from Lynda’s hands to her daughters’ as they focus on the future. Ali, original architect of the cake design process, has seen the cake department evolve into something she would never have dreamed possible as a little girl; “My mom took me to Chicago to study under one of the top cake decorators in the world. She believed in my talent and had the foresight and courage to move our business in this direction and to act on this dream for all of us. The older I get, the more valuable my mother’s sacrifices and courage are to me.” Being in business 30 years has meant that they have learned to evolve with the changes and respond to the needs of our guests. This includes a gluten sensitive menu that incorporates many of their signature Puffy Muffin flavors. Confections such as the Chocolate Pyramid, Crème Brulee, Peanut Butter Cheesecake & Daquoise are now prepared with gluten sensitive guests in mind. Wedding cakes and specialty cakes are artfully designed for our gluten sensitive guests so that they may enjoy the same wonderful experience they always wanted. Puffy Muffin specializes in beautiful wedding cakes, custom specialty cakes, catering and dine-in or delivery breakfast and lunch. Puffy Muffin has cake delivery available as well so that brides can rest assured that their dream wedding cake will not only be delivered, but will also arrive safely to their event location. Puffy Muffin has two locations: Cool Springs, 330 Mayfield Drive, Franklin 615-309-0703 Brentwood, 229 Franklin Road, Brentwood 615-373-2741 puffymuffin.com Visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest at ThePuffyMuffin