Willie Richard II, affectionately known by his family as "Uncle Honey," started his business out of the desire to have his grandmother’s tea cakes again.

He spent 21 years working in a wholesale bakery before being laid off in 2009. He said his faith guided him to realize his lifelong dream of becoming a business owner.

“The Holy Spirit spoke back to me and said, ‘If you believe you could own a business like you believe you could get a job, you could have it,’” Willie Richard II said.

He took this as inspiration to officially open Uncle Honey’s Home Style Desserts in Stafford in 2015.
Tea cakes, which “have the crunch of a cookie and the fluff of a cake,” hold cultural significance among African Americans, Richard said. (Courtesy Uncle Honey's)
Tea cakes, which “have the crunch of a cookie and the fluff of a cake,” hold cultural significance among African Americans, Willie Richard II said. (Courtesy Uncle Honey's)
Looking back

Tea cakes, which “have the crunch of a cookie and the fluff of a cake,” hold cultural significance among African Americans, Willie Richard II said.


He said enslaved people learned to make tea cakes and passed on the recipes by word of mouth. He said they have long been a key part of celebrating Juneteenth and represent the storied history of southern Black Americans.

“We specialize not only in just what some people consider a cookie,” he said. “It's more than a cookie—it's heritage.”
The Richard's credit their faith for the sustained and continued growth of Uncle Honey's bakery in Stafford. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
The Richards credit their faith for the sustained growth of Uncle Honey's bakery in Stafford. (Asia Armour/Community Impact)
From the oven

Willie Richard II arrives at the store at 2 a.m. every morning to start baking, said Renae Richard, his wife. She said his dedication keeps her and all of their other staff inspired.

Uncle Honey’s produces 80,000 tea cakes monthly, along with other desserts such as bundt cakes, pecan pies and banana pudding, Willie Richard II said.


These treats are distributed in 13 cafe-style restaurants and meat markets in predominantly Black neighborhoods around Houston. These include B & W Meat Company and Watkins Supermarket, he said.
Customers can find Uncle Honey's desserts in meat markets and some cafe-style restaurants across Houston, and pick up some items at the store in Stafford. (Courtesy Uncle Honey's)
Customers can find Uncle Honey's desserts in meat markets and some cafe-style restaurants across Houston. They can also pick up some items at the store in Stafford. (Courtesy Uncle Honey's)
The company's tagline, “the best tea cakes in the whole wide world,” are indicative of Willie Richard’s ambition to take his brand outside of Texas and across the globe, he said.

“I’ve enjoyed the ride,” Renae Richard said. “Just to watch [the business] birth and grow, you see how God has taken it and done exceedingly abundantly above.”