After tasting a “life-changing” rum cake made by a family friend,   Josh and Rebecca Jones immediately began to daydream about starting a business making their own decadent rum-soaked cakes. From day one, they knew they wanted the business to be a family venture that involved their sons Brady, 13, and Preston, 11. Earlier this year, the family launched Jetty Boy Rum Cakes and they’ve been satisfying sweet tooths at farmer’s markets throughout the area ever since. 

“We spent six months diving into recipes, trying to figure out what our original recipe was going to be,” Rebecca recalls. “A lot of them failed. It was a good learning process for my boys to learn about picking yourself up and trying again.”   Eventually the family perfected their original recipe—a fragrant, melt-in-your-mouth cake with notes of vanilla, cinnamon, cardamom and dried oranges along with a satisfying crunch from candied pecans. That original recipe also serves as the base for other rum cake flavors like chocolate, key lime and toasted coconut. Jetty Boys uses local ingredients whenever possible, including local rums like Righteous Rum & Spice from St. Petersburg Distillery. They even harvest their own salt. 

“On really clear days we go to the jetties in Venice early in the morning, before all the people are out, when the water is crystal clear,” Rebecca says. “We collect about ten gallons of water and we bring it home and boil it for 10-12 hours in the backyard, then bring it inside and finish it on the stove.”

Ten gallons of water yields about two pounds of salt which is more than enough for their cakes. Any extra salt is packed up and sold plain or in flavors like Spicy Citrus and Lavender Lemon at farmer’s markets alongside the decadent cakes. Naturally, the whole family pitches in at the market, too. 

“Brady works the samples and then passes people over to Mom or Dad to talk about the different ingredients and rums,” Rebecca says. “And then anyone that’s interested in purchasing, I pass them over to Preston and he does the cashier work.” Both boys have even started selling handmade goods of their own at the Jetty Boys booth. Brady makes laser-engraved leather bracelets and Preston designs his own stickers. Clearly the business lessons have been paying off.   You can find Jetty Boys at the Venice Farmers Market Saturdays from 8am-1pm and the Wellen Park Fresh Harvest Farmers Market Sundays from 9am to 1pm. For more markets and events, check their website or social media.