Linda McComb Hundt grew up in Lansing, Michigan with a huge sweet tooth, loving her Easybake Oven, and dreaming of owning her own pie shop someday! She married her high school sweetheart, John Hundt in 1985, graduated from Michigan State Univ. with a degree in Education in 1988, and worked as a substitute teacher until 1989.
Because teaching jobs were scarce, Ms. Hundt went to work in the political arena while her daughters, Ellie and Betsie were young. In 2002, after struggling with depression for many years, Linda quit her job to pursue her life-long dream of starting her pie shop business. As a home-based business, she sold her fare at farm markets and high-end restaurants. In 2005, the business grew into a retail café bakery in DeWitt Michigan. The entire business is based on love and nostalgia through the business’ mission, comfort food, vintage ambiance, and merchandise.
Ms. Hundt and Sweetie-licious Bakery Cafe have won numerous baking, restaurant, and business awards including; The 2011 Crisco 100th Anniversary Innovation award - $2,000 Best in Show, The Food Network’s “Amazing Pie Challenge”, $5000 Best of Show at the Crisco National Pie Championships as well as two first places in 2011, four first places in 2010 and 2009, three first places in 2008, and one first place in 2007.
Linda also won the prestigious 2009 Athena Powerlink award, is a member of Central Michigan University’s Entrepreneurial Center Advisory Board as well as the Clinton County Entrepreneur Committee. She was also the member of the 2008 Selection Committee for Women of the Year, sponsored by Greater Lansing Woman Magazine, and is the co-founder of the DeWitt Farmer’s Market. Sweetie-licious was named the SBTC’s Small Business of the Year in 2006.
Linda has been featured in numerous national, state, and local television segments, magazine, and newspapers including Country Living, Midwest Living, and Parade. Linda is a sought-after keynote speaker, speaking on faith, dreams, and love, as well as giving pie baking demonstrations for hundreds of people at a time.
Linda resides in a century-old farmhouse with her sweet husband. Her two beautiful daughters are attending college. Linda believes that Sweetie-licious Bakery Cafe can change the world one pie at a time through good food, good pies and good deeds and if you eat pie, you will inevitably, love life.