Chicago man reunites with long-lost mother after adoption and helps keep her bakery alive

At the heart of the Give Me Some Sugah bakery in Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood, there’s more than the aroma of fresh pound cake filling the air—there’s laughter, joy, and an incredible story of family reunion.

Lenore Lindsey and her son, Vamarr Hunter, only discovered their biological connection a few years ago. Lindsey, who gave Hunter up for adoption as a newborn, never imagined he’d become a regular customer at her bakery—let alone her right-hand man in running it.

“It’s the most joyful story and time in my life,” Lindsey told ABC News. “In my senior years, all of this has come together.”

Hunter learned he was adopted at 35 and, years later, decided to search for his birth mother through genetic testing. To his surprise, she lived just blocks away. When Lindsey faced a health crisis, Hunter, despite having no baking experience, stepped in to help run the bakery. Today, his pound cake has become a customer favorite.

Related: Reframing Mother’s Day: How an open adoption changed my views on motherhood

“You can’t make up for time and days gone by,” Hunter said. “What you can do is properly utilize the time that you have.”

Their connection has brought more than just a renewed bond between mother and son. Hunter also discovered a sister and an extended family, while his own four children learned they’d been living near family their entire lives without knowing it.

“When I called him, that connection was so immediate,” Lindsey said. “I can’t even explain it. It was just like everything in my heart just broke open.”

With plans to keep the bakery in the family, Hunter dreams of passing it down to one of his children. For now, though, he’s savoring the sweetness of every moment shared with his mother.

Related: This family’s viral adoption story proves ‘families don’t have to match’