Although sophomore Alexis “Lexii” Hutchison isn’t a big fan of sweets herself, she’s known among TROY students for her sweet and savory desserts.

Hutchison, a native of Tallassee, Alabama, developed her love for cooking during her junior year of high school in an event planning course.

Hutchison’s final project was a baking contest called “Cupcake Wars.”

“Everybody had to make a different flavor of cupcake,” Hutchison said. “Teachers from our school would judge us and pick whoever was the best.

“Throughout the week, (the teacher) would allow us to bake in the classroom and decorate. My cupcake was voted the best, and I’ve been cooking ever since. My love for it has grown stronger over the past two years.”

Lexii’s Nutty Creations bloomed out of that one class, and now Hutchison spends her time selling treats like red velvet cupcakes, banana pudding bites and candy-coated fruits.

Hutchison reached out to family and friends to help her come up with a business name as her company began to grow.

“I made a post asking my Facebook friends to help me figure out a name,” Hutchison said. “Someone commented it and I was like ‘Yeah, this is the one.’”

Hutchison has a Facebook group where she teaches over a thousand members her tips and secrets to baking. Group members began asking for recipes, so she decided she’d self-publish her own cookbook, The LNC Cookbook.

“I figured that since I shared all of my recipes there, why not make it into a book and share it with everyone?” Hutchison said. “I finally put it in motion and did it.”

Other parts of Hutchison’s business include vendor events where local entrepreneurs and businesses can come together and sell their products.

During the hours when Hutchison isn’t baking her sweet treats or finding ways to grow her business, she’s a full-time elementary education student at Troy University.

It was during a student marketing event when Hutchison began making a name for herself at TROY.

“It really helped me get new customers and to get my name out there,” Hutchison said.

Hutchison isn’t too sure which direction she wants to take once she graduates, but she does have the opportunity to attend culinary school in the spring.

“It’s really up in the air,” Hutchison concluded. “I want to go to culinary school, but I still want to be a teacher.

“I know baking is something that I really want to do and it really means a lot to me.”

The LNC Cookbook is available for purchase online.