Editor's note: Muncie Origins is a Ball State Daily News series profiling various businesses that originated in Muncie.
Laura Turvey, the owner of Tipsy Turvey’s Pubcakes, said she has never liked desserts.
“People make fun of me because I don’t like sweets,” Turvey said.
Despite her dislike for confections and pastries, Turvey said she started baking with her grandmother as soon as she could reach the stove.
After traveling to different pubs in Europe and Ireland in 1998, Turvey came home and began experimenting with beer in her baking.
For years, she baked for her friends and family, but it wasn’t until she brought treats to a friend’s brewery opening that someone proposed the idea she start her own business.
Just three years after opening Tipsy Turvey’s Pubcakes, Turvey now caters beer festivals, farmers markets, restaurants and more.
Turvey said she spends 20 to 30 hours baking each week, which can amount to 70 hours of baking during large events. On average, she said she makes 1,000 baked goods a week on top of experimenting to create her own new recipes.
“It is cathartic,” Turvey said. “Where else can you beat the heck out of something and have a beautiful end result?”
Each April, Turvey hosts her largest event of the year at Taxman Brewing Company in Bargersville, Indiana. For the “Death and Taxes” event, she makes more than 3,500 items to sell over the course of four hours.
Other events that require a lot of baking are weddings; she said she can make up to 400 items for a single wedding.
While Turvey said juggling her successful business, a part-time job and a family can be hard, she still finds time to give back to her community.
“I want people to recognize my logo as a good thing,” Turvey said.
Turvey works with several nonprofit organizations in Muncie including the Boys and Girls Club, Best Buddies, the Delaware County Historical Society and the Soup Kitchen of Muncie. She also rents the kitchen in the Muncie Senior Center for her baking to support them.
While she works with a lot of nonprofits involved with children, Turvey said she assures the alcohol cooks out of all her treats before serving them.
Each year, Turvey said she donates her sweets as items for silent auction fundraisers hosted by the Delaware County Historical Society. She has also donated to its annual fundraiser at the Fickle Peach, where guests get history lessons, samples of craft beers and Turvey’s pubcakes.
“We simply could not operate without the generous support of folks like Mrs. Turvey,” said Chris Flook, president of the Delaware County Historical Society. “Without fail, she brings in a lot of money for us.”
Turvey has thought about opening a brick and mortar store for Tipsy Turvey’s Pubcakes and has even purchased a display case for the store, but right now, she said she is set on growing her business and giving back to the community.
“I just love baking for people,” Turvey said.
Contact Bailey Silvers with comments at bfsilvers@bsu.edu.
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