Broad Ripple High School and Purdue University alumni Rosevelt Colvin recently described his wife Tiffany's new gourmet treat dessert shop, SweeTies.

"Her mom, Patrice, has baked cakes and catered numerous events for several years around the city. They both have a passion for food, they love to cook and they have similar likes in food. Tiffany's cooking has always been a hit with my teammates, as well as her mom's trips into town during holidays where they would supply the whole team with delicious cakes and pies. In some cases, they would stay up all night to complete the orders for my Bears and Patriots teammates. Some of the players' favorites were: Red Velvet Cake with Butter Cream Icing (Adam Vinetari), Traditional Yellow Cake with Chocolate Icing (Tom Brady) and Strawberry Cake with Strawberry Icing that was a favorite of the big Lineman," he said.

"Together, Tiffany and Patrice have developed recipes for cookies, cakes, pies and brownies that have been successful. With the experience of running our UPS Stores, we've created a concept for a business entity to sell them in. Tiffany (also a BRHS graduate) is confident in her capacity to sell these specialty gourmet items. We are excited about the opportunity to be in Broad Ripple Village. The strip mall location in the area brings in a lot of traffic and the homey feel of the dessert shop has a less corporate image," Colvin added.

SweeTies opened on October 21 at 1081 Broad Ripple Avenue. Their hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday. They are closed Sunday. More information is available at their website www.sweetiesgt.com or by e-mailing them at info@sweetiesgt.com or calling the dessert shop at (317) 602-3999.

"We sell ice cream, wedding cakes, birthday cakes, cookies, pies, brownies, coffee, smoothies and shakes. We also offer birthday and tea parties, two rooms for kids, bridal and baby showers," Tiffany explained. "My mom was dreaming of having a store for a long time and we've been baking together for years and enjoy entertaining. We thought the store's name fit well with the items we sell," she noted. Tiffany manages the shop and helps Patrice bake their variety of desserts.

Patrice described her passion for cooking: "I have a business called Simply Unique Catering that I've been operating for about 20 years. I started out bringing cheesecakes and cakes to church and giving them away, but somebody suggested that I sell them. This led me to making wedding cakes for my two daughters and many others. I've always cooked for people," she explained.

"Since I've been doing catering in addition to making wedding cakes, Black Walnut Coconut Cake has been very popular, along with Fruit Loop Cake that has lemon, strawberry and pineapple flavors, just like the cereal. Everybody orders these two items," she noted.

"When Tiffany was living in Massachusetts, (while Rosevelt played for New England), I always went up there to make cakes for them. She said, 'you know that you and I love to cook.' She wanted to open a bakery and name it SweeTies. One day she just called me out of the blue, saying, 'Mommy, I want to open a dessert shop with your help' and that is how we started," she mentioned.

In addition to being a gourmet dessert shop, "There will be free WIFI, two rooms that can be used for training purposes, old fashion penny candy, flat screen TVs or just a place where you and a significant other can satisfy your sweet tooth. Businesses can also rent rooms for meetings," Colvin mentioned. He appears on WRTV 6 Saturday Night Sports Extra this fall, providing his gridiron perspective re-capping college football games and previewing National Football League games.

Evaluating his personal and professional career over recent off-field events, Colvin reflected, "I'm at a different point in my life where my priorities have changed. My parents were each diagnosed with cancer over the past year. My father's prostate cancer is in remission and my mother's fight against colon cancer is ongoing. As she goes down the home stretch of her last treatments, she sees light at the end of the tunnel."

While operating his UPS stores, SweeTies and raising his family, Colvin's playbook stays within the Outside Linebacker/Defensive End's reach.

Returning to the Patriots last December as an Outside Linebacker, he started in three of their final four games. Currently a free agent, he has no immediate plans of returning to the gridiron. However, "If asked to return to the NFL, I can be ready in a week or two," he replied. The two-time Super Bowl champion remains motivated to play on any given Sunday.

SweeTies could be the Colvin's ideal recipe for success among their growing business enterprises as customers discover Tiffany and Patrice's delicious desserts.