If you bake it, they will come.

 

If you take it on the road, Loblolly King Cake lovers will come in droves to meet you. Just ask Loblolly owner and restauranteur Robert St. John.

 

St. John is bringing his unique take on the Mardi Gras standard in all four flavors — cream cheese, cinnamon, blueberry and pecan praline — to Cater’s Market Meridian on Thursday, Feb. 6.

 

Named one of the top 22 bakeries in the United States by the New York Times, Loblolly Bakery opened in July 2023 in Hattiesburg. People travel from all over the state to feast on the delectable pasties and breads created in Loblolly’s kitchen by James Beard award winner Martha Foose and her husband, Donald Bender.

 

As St. John has been significantly influenced by New Orleans culture and cuisine throughout his career, it was natural for him to want to recognize and celebrate the season of Mardi Gras by adding these seasonal treats to his bakery offerings as he has at his other restaurants. His New Orleans-themed Crescent City restaurant in Hattiesburg featured King Cake Bread Pudding, and Ed’s Burger Joint boasts the King Cake Milkshake. St John’s breakfast place, The Midtowner, serves up King Cake French toast.

 

“When I first got into the business, I never would have seen myself owning and operating a business that baked and sold king cakes. I wasn’t even a fan of king cakes. But 90% of what I have done over the last 37 years hasn’t been planned,” he said.

 

The traditional Mardi Gras king cake originated in Louisiana in 1870 and is a cross between a coffee cake and a sweet roll. It is shaped into an oval or circle, filled with rich fillings like cream cheese or praline. After baking, it is topped with icing and sprinkled with purple, green, and gold sugar. Traditionally, a plastic baby is placed inside the cake or on top.

 

“When we decided to create our own perfect version of a king cake, I traveled to New Orleans to find what is considered to be the holy grail of Mardi Gras: the elusive Dong Phuong Bakery king cake. Instead of just this one example, I brought back 33 king cakes from all over the city,” St. John said. “Before Loblolly opened, we started baking in the Midtowner kitchen with trial and error to find the perfect combination.

 

“I think we nailed it,” he said. “We engineered our king cakes to have bread that is soft and moist; the icing is not too sweet, not too hard. We use fresh ingredients like our blueberries that come from a local farm. They are flash-frozen during the height of the season. Our blueberry is the number one seller, followed by cream-cheese filled, traditional cinnamon and pecan praline rounding out the bunch.”

 

Today, people drive to Loblolly Bakery from all over, stand in line and hope the cakes do not sell out before they purchase their favorite, despite the 300-400 cakes baked each day. St. John and his crew decided to take the king cakes on the road with pop-up shops which sometimes sell out in 22 minutes.

 

Jennifer McRae from Meridian says she loves keeping up with St. John’s many ventures.

 

“It keeps me connected with my hometown of Hattiesburg,” she said. “I followed his research of king cakes when he opened Loblolly. Last year, my friends Cay and Sonny Wedgworth drove to Hattiesburg more than once to stand in line. They brought back king cakes to share with me, so now I am hooked. When I saw [St. John] was emceeing the MAX Hall of Fame ceremony last week, I asked if he would  bring some for our king cake hand off on Fifth Street after the ceremony.”

 

Meridianites will get their chance to sample the treats at the pop-up shop at the Cater’s Market located at 5201 Highway 493.

 

Jamie Cater, owner of Cater’s Market, said she is happy to host her friend and his wares.

 

“We like to support local, but we also like to feature great Mississippi cuisine and its creators. This is exciting,” she said.