And Publix birthday cakes were a treat I’d keep coming back ... around 5 a.m., and ends early enough so she can meet her three kids at the bus stop. There’s a meditative quality to the job.

It truly is that delicious. In the South, Publix cakes have a reputation among the elementary kids’ birthday circuit. Your party is only the best if it includes one of their Twinkie-like cakes.

Publix’s hurricane-themed cakes are no longer. The cakes, often decorated with icing depicting the storms on radar and with words of encouragement like “Leave Florida alone” or “Go away ...