The Sweet Life
Celebrating Confectionery Creators
The Sweet Life: Mother Myrick's Confectionery
CELEBRATING 45 YEARS OF COMMUNITY, CULTURE, AND CONFECTIONS
This beloved shop started as a fudge stand in the window of a local Manchester store in the late 1970s. Anyone who has visited Manchester’s Mother Myrick’s Confectionery or browsed their mail-order catalog knows that it has grown far beyond fudge. When you meet the duo behind all the scrumptious confections, Jacki Baker and Ron Mancini, it is apparent that they are selling a lot more than sweets. Yes, the store brims with cakes, frosted cookies, truffles, candy, and more, and there is something sweet for everyone here. However, it is their passion and enthusiasm for bringing people a slice of joy that resonates, and that alone has brought this popular store thousands of customers.
Countless testimonials from patrons who hail from around the country express their sentiments. “It wouldn’t be the holidays without your buttercrunch. The Best.” “This is the best hot fudge I have ever eaten.” Mother Myrick’s best seller is their buttercrunch, handmade with Cabot Creamery butter; it’s crisp and buttery and melts in your mouth. Lemon LuLu Cake, also a top seller, is light, moist, and lemony.
This delicious cake is named after the aunt of a friend who introduced Jacki and Ron. In 1979, Aunt Lucy brought her own cake to Vermont to celebrate her 80th birthday and happily shared the recipe. Now 42 years later, Lemon LuLu is a tradition in the life celebrations of customers near and far.
Jacki and Ron embrace the fact that their confections are appreciated at cherished celebrations with friends and family. Helping people stay connected and conveying emotions through award-winning cakes and chocolates is the heart of their business. Jacki shares, “We are in the celebration business, offering a tangible vehicle for folks to express sentiments.”
“We have become a tradition,” adds Ron as he relates stories about the businesses and families who return regularly to purchase some of Vermont’s finest desserts. The couple smiles when they share that “hidden angels” carried them along their journey. Folks who helped them unselfishly and paved the way to what is now a thriving confectionery business. Whether it was George, who taught Ron how to make fudge, or Peter, a retired candy maker who shared his caramel recipe. Or the candy shop in Boston that shut its doors, where the retired couple offered hand tools, a kettle, and a stove. That candy maker shared his buttercrunch toffee recipe. “Hey kid, with this recipe for buttercrunch, you can make a million bucks.” It has become a labor of love that Ron and Jacki embrace to celebrate people and their special occasions and their lives.
Lemon LuLu Cake is named after the aunt of a friend who introduced Jacki and Ron. Now 42 years later, Lemon LuLu is a tradition in the life celebrations of customers near and far.
From the fudge stand in the late 1970s to an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and bake shop that spanned 26 years, Mother Myrick’s Confectionery is now 45 years old. Their local customer base, their countrywide mail-order base, and holiday and business clients keep them humming all year long. Of course, during the pandemic, online sales soared.
Supporting community ranks high here with a range of projects that engage children and families. While focusing on the retail store operations, Jacki embraces community involvement. She started the Summer Reading program in 1989 that encourages young people to read books all summer, with special prize bags along the way. Kids Cakes for Mom, a Mother’s Day fundraiser for breast cancer survivors, offers a day of pure fun decorating cakes for moms with every possible confection.
Just five minutes away from the store, Ron runs an organized factory and fulfillment center that houses a bake shop, candy shop, and shipping bay. His long-term employees are a testament to his management style. They are committed to using local ingredients, sourcing local Vermont honey and maple syrup, King Arthur flour, and Cabot butter.
Customers, community, culture, and gratitude for the people who have helped them along their journey captures Mother Myrick’s ethos. “It’s the people who we make happy that matter the most,” Ron and Jacki say with a smile. Married 43 years, they are still madly in love while together they offer us handmade confections in a beautiful Vermont town.
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