Article By Colton Strader
Sugar, spice and everything nice.
These are just a few words that describe legendary baker, campus icon and staple of the community, Brenda Hyatt (pictured).
For a little over four decades, Hyatt has been impacting the lives, and taste buds, of nearly every person that has passed through the Lyon College campus.
All good things must come to an end though, and so 41 years after beginning her journey at the college, Hyatt will be retiring from her position in December.
To appreciate 41 years of hard work and dedication, one needs to go back to the beginning, to 1981 when Hyatt first stepped foot on Arkansas College’s (now Lyon College) campus. And as she puts it, she was “just looking for a job.”
That job came in the form of a position with the college’s dining services provider, but not at the baking station. Hyatt began her journey as a dishwasher.
“I worked as a dishwasher for four years, until the baker at the time retired,” said Hyatt. “She put in a word for me, someone who had never run a mixer, and (I) was basically self-taught.”
Hyatt said it was a surprising moment, but she landed the position and “began learning.” Hyatt took clippings from books, magazines, and anywhere a decent recipe might be hidden. These recipes were then carefully and meticulously written and sorted on index cards.
“I taught myself a lot,” Hyatt said. “I took my job very seriously, and I put everything I had into it.”
When she first started, Hyatt said that, “they tried to make me bake from a menu.” She was given a menu from which she had to prepare items for the day, but she quickly noticed that the community was not too pleased with the products.
When students weren’t coming back too often for the “menu desserts,” Hyatt decided to try something new: Baking for the people.
“I don’t remember people’s names very well, but I remember what they like.” said Hyatt. “I remember people from what they come in to eat, what they like and what they come back for more of.”
Hyatt had soon amassed quite the collection of recipes. Recipes ranging from bars to bread, cakes to cookies, pies to pudding, and even sugar-free options for those that needed them. Countless index cards describing the most delectable of treats, each color coded and graded based on diners’ reactions.
At the top of each index card, a curious onlooker might see one of three faces. These faces were the determining factor of the lifespan of each treat. A recipe card with a frowny face means that the treat in question didn’t fare so well and wouldn’t be made again. Recipe cards with a straight-face drawn on it meant the dessert was decent and students accepted it, but the sweet treat didn’t make any headlines. Cards with a smiley face though, these were the treats that people made multiple trips for. Most of the recipes with chocolate-earned smiles included some of the more iconic ones being “Gooey Bars” and “Molten Chocolate Pudding Cake.”
This type of community feedback is vital for Hyatt to accurately grade her desserts.
“I’ll be honest,” said Hyatt. “I don’t eat my own desserts. I go by what students tell me, and I ask them honestly whether they like it or not. If they come back for more, I know they like it.”
In 2010, disaster struck. Edwards Dining Hall and Commons went up in flames. Shattered windows, charred walls, and split bricks from the blazing inferno were all that visibly remained of the building. However, under the char, under the smoldering remains of the dining hall, sat a few boxes. A few totes, full to the brim with sugary, mouth-watering recipes that had been more than 30 years in the making. A few boxes that against all odds, remained virtually unscathed.
It would be two months before the totes were found under the rubble of Edwards Commons, surviving not only the initial blaze but also the subsequent thousands of gallons of water that were used to tame the inferno.
“I was shocked,” she said. “I was sure that the recipes would have gone up in the heat.”
Not a single recipe was lost.
With the campus dining hall up in smoke, the Scottish Heritage Building was renovated to serve as the dining hall. During that time Creative Dining Services continued to provide the community with full bellies and even fuller smiles.
Construction for the new Edwards Commons began in October 2011, with completion in August 2012. The new cafeteria even housed a dedicated baking area for Hyatt.
During the same time, Hyatt was working on finding a new way to protect some of her recipes. Hyatt gathered more than 100 recipes from her collection and compiled them into a cookbook. The cookbook sold for $20 with half of the proceeds being donated to fund the new Edwards Commons construction. The book can still be purchased from the ScotShop for $15.
In honor of Hyatt’s retirement, community members sent in several tributes to Hyatt thanking her for her dedication and commitment to everyone here on campus.
“Your baking was one of the highlights of the Lyon dining experience, from Ed’s to the Temp to New Ed’s,” said Lyon College alumnus Timoteo Guarjardo, ‘11. “Thank you so much for all the good bread and desserts. Enjoy your retirement.”
“Thank you so much for being a core memory of my Lyon College experience,” said Lyon College senior Lauren Brown.
And alumnae Mary Miller, ‘93, and Morgan Miller, ‘21, said: “Mrs. Brenda, you are a wonderful icon at Arkansas/Lyon College, and you will be missed. I enjoyed a multitude of your treats from 1989 until 1993. When my daughter decided to attend Lyon, I told her about your wonderful treats. So, thank you for filling the bellies of two alumni!”
On Thursday, Dec. 1, the college will celebrate and recognize Hyatt with a drop-in reception from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bradley Manor, 15 Bluff View Dr., Batesville.
There will be a table set up throughout the week at Edwards Commons with pens and cards; community members are encouraged to write a tribute to Hyatt that will be gifted to her at the reception.
The community is invited.
Article and image provided by Lyon College
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