Hi! I am Tommy Cakes…
My actual name is Tom, and I am a gardener, river dweller, professional wanderer,, podcaster and lifelong learner.
I am also a bird watcher and bird seed artist. Kinda like a sandwich artist, except I don’t use bread, cheese, meat and condiments in my creations (like a global sandwich chain…ahem).
I started making bird seed creations in late 2024 to improve the quality of seed and feed that our birds were eating at our feeders. As the birds literally called out and lined up as I went to load my bird feeders, I felt compelled to share these with the world.
I am not kidding. I had chickadees and woodpeckers flying in as soon as I would load up my suet feeders and homemade suet logs. It was amazing, and I almost got them eating out of my hands in the winter of 2024-2025!
I am having a lot of fun and learning a lot about creating a small business and selling products.
All I know is this: our birds love these bird seed creations, and I know yours will too!
Our Big Why: The Day Our Sun Went Dark….
Tommy Cakes (Bird) Seed LLC was born after our son Danny passed away on September 11, 2022. I was working on a landscaping project at our little farm in Maiden Rock, Wisconsin, when my son Ryan called me after finding Danny. He was an ultra-marathoner, was incredibly fit and had so much going for him. We called him our “Running Hummingbird” because he was incredibly fast, strong and ran incredible distances…and won these insane races .
His crossing of the Rainbow Bridge was unexpected and sudden. It rocked our world and changed us forever.
As we grieved Danny’s passing, there were times that ALL we could do was sit on the deck and watch the birds as they ate seed from my homemade bird feeder (the Big Bird Buffet), nibbled on grape jelly and sipped the nectar in our hummingbird feeders.
These birds brought us a little peace and comfort in that terribly dark time in our lives.
In 2023, we sold the farm and moved to The Landing in New Richmond, Wisconsin. Our home is on the banks of the Willow River, and I really started to lean into feeding the birds here. For only moving an hour away from the Driftless Area, I noticed that we were seeing and feeding different types of birds, and that inspired me to want to attract more birds and improve the quality of our bird seed.
Late in 2024, I tried making my own suet cakes in homemade molds. The recipe was a hit, especially with our 12 Hangry Squirrels. I began experimenting with spicy suet recipes, and after Sam the Squirrel pushed the ceramic bowl off the railing in protest, I knew I was on to something.
I have been working hard to improve my recipes so that your birds get more healthy fats and high quality bird seed. At the same time, creating bird seed and suet cakes, seed and suet cylinders, suet bars and bird seed mixes has been so much fun! I get to explore and try new recipes while I enjoy attracting and feeding the birds here at The Landing and in your backyard.
The 12 Hangry Squirrels could not be reached for comment on this post, however….
Where Did That Crazy Name Come From?
Every superhero has an origin story, and while I am NOT a superhero, I do have a certain set of skills…
“Tommy Cakes” is a name created by some friends in the beekeeping and homesteading space. Since 2015, I have had a podcast, blog and YouTube channel for a project called “Small Scale Life.” Two of my guests and friends, Doneil Freeman from Colorado and Greg Burns from Ohio, started to call me “Tommy Cakes” as a nickname.
I decided to agree and amplify, and I used Tommy Cakes as a character that had his own episodes on the Small Scale Life Podcast. I created a New Jersey-style accent and had some fun and laughs with the character.
Fast forward to 2025, and my friend and cohost Adam Rick and I were talking about names for the new little company. I was thinking about calling it the 533 Seed and Supply Company (kinda bording), and Adam said I should call it “Tommy Cakes.”
I thought about it, ran it by Julie and my therapist, and both agreed that it was SO MUCH MORE FUN than “533 Seed and Supply Company.”
I agree and set up the company!
Tommy Cakes (Bird) Seed LLC is the name of the company, and I am Tommy Cakes!
Bada Boom Bada Bing! Our bird seed is DELICIOUS!
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Hand Made Treats for Your Feathered Friends!
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Who wants to pay more for bird seed when you can just get the stuff at the Brand X Big Box Store?
I totally understand that perspective after feeding ravenous squirrels, grackles, starlings, crows and the occasional raccoon. These friends, plus the ones we really love, can strip down a feeder or suet log in a day, and those costs can add up over time, especially during migration periods in fall and spring and the dead of winter when food is scarce and temperatures plummet to -20 degree Fahrenheit.
I have looked closely at the low cost stuff at Brand X Big Box Store. They use cheap filler seeds like millet (everyone hates that) and crushed corn, and it is bound together with gelatin or lard. It is a race to the bottom, and a lot of that filler seed ends up on the ground around the feeder and sprouting weeds in the summer.
I started making my own high quality bird seed creations because I wanted to give my feathered friends something A LOT better. I also want to reduce the mess from empty black oil sunflower seed shells and make cakes, bars, cylinders and seed mixes that would discourage hungry squirrels, chipmunks and raccoons.
It is my goal to attract and feed more birds and reduce the waste and OTHER hungry critters that visit our feeders!
High Quality Bird Seed
We focus on using high quality bird seed from local farmers and feed stores. I am NOT a fan of filler seeds and materials; our birds deserve THE GOOD STUFF.
Home-Grown Spices
Spice is Nice!
One way to discourage those hungry squirrels and chipmunks is to use hot pepper flakes and sauces in our mix. I am a gardener, and I grow my own jalapeno and habanero peppers for our bars, cakes, cylinders and seeds.
I take a lot of pride in the produce from my garden, and I am excited to use that produce in your cakes. We grow heirloom peppers and use natural fertilizers on our gardens. There is no room or tolerance for chemicals, oils and salts in our Small Scale Garden.
Tallow
Tallow seems to be all the rage in this age (did you see what I did there?). We are working hard to use tallow rendered from grass-fed animals.
We partner with our good friend Adam Rick from Modern Frontier Farms from Dousman, Wisconsin. His grass-fed, pasture raised fed beef makes wonderful tallow, and his meat (beef, pork and chicken) is delicious!
