KANSAS CITY, MO — “Treat yo’ self” may have been coined by the popular sitcom Parks and Recreation, but the phrase has become more than just a comical tagline. The concept is now part of everyday consumer language, and more significantly, often used to permit indulgent snacking.

Los Angeles-based Lexington Bakes (LXB) started as an Instagram post showing off homemade organic brownies, and it turned into a brand that had demand before it even had a name.

Most entrepreneurial origin stories start with the same formula: develop a product, create the brand and seek out customers. LXB — perhaps akin to its founder and CEO — did things a little differently. Lex Evan is nothing if not warm, eccentric and wildly creative. No stranger to entrepreneurial adventures, he’s a principle-driven risk taker.

After moving from New York to Los Angeles to pursue a graphic design career, Evan baked as a hobby, not a gig. That was, until he posted his brownie creations on Instagram, triggering an influx of direct messages from acquaintances in New York. Those messages suddenly turned into requests for him to package and ship his brownies across the country.

Could it have been that easy?

“I wasn’t sure if people would pay $10 for a brownie, let alone more than one, plus two-day cross-country shipping,” Evan said. “It was $50 to ship four brownies. I didn’t believe people would actually pay for that.”