“I’m blessed because we have a lot of responses from our customers; they always tell us, ‘We’re here to support,’” Martinez said.
Martinez opened Yummy Tummy Bakery in Humble in 2010 after learning to bake while working at The Woodlands Country Club and perfecting her skills as a home baker. She said her custom cakes and baked goods—such as chocolate-dipped strawberries and macarons—quickly became popular, with venues and events contacting her to cater for them.
“It was very, very hard in the beginning because the first days that I opened, nobody stopped by; nobody knows who was Yummy Tummy,” Martinez said. “But then when a person stop and try my cakes and then they put a review, ... then a lot of people started getting in here.”
In July 2019, Martinez opened a second location in New Caney’s Valley Ranch Town Center, which Martinez said is slowly building a customer base. The location features a cafe with coffee and espresso and more pastries.
However, like many small businesses, Martinez said the coronavirus pandemic limited her business. Without events or parties, very few customers ordered custom cakes. She also said many people turned to home baking as a quarantine hobby, leading to fewer people ordering from the bakery.
“You need to do what you need to do to survive; I completely understand,” she said. “But we have a lot of customers that they’re always going to come back because the quality’s from scratch, totally different, and that’s why they love Yummy Tummy.”
The pandemic is not the only challenge Martinez has had to face in recent years. She said she nearly lost her leg due to health complications, went through five surgeries and was later diagnosed with skin cancer. Currently in remission, she said the past few years have been full of blessings, as well.
“God gave me the strength that I need again, and I’m here to make my customers happy,” Martinez said. “I want them to know that I’m here; I’m back; I’m better; I’m strong, and I want them to be happy when they buy a cake from Yummy Tummy.”
Yummy Tummy Bakery
www.yummytummypastries.com
Hours: Tue.-Sun. 9 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Mon.
Valley Ranch Town Center location
21572 Market Place Drive, Ste. 200, New Caney
281-354-1515
Original Humble location
1005 First St. E., Humble
281-446-0450
