In a town known for vinegar-based barbecue and country ham, a little bakery churns out the cake batter in a large plaza on Ash Street. Bread is not on the menu at Bread of Heaven, but cake is king — so many cakes it’s almost dizzying. In six, gleaming glass cases, owner/baker Sandra Williams displays whole cakes and slices of red velvet cake; a black-and-white cake with thick frosting and crumbled Oreos; a 7Up cake that involves lemon pudding; and a pig-picking cake layered and topped with toasted pecans, shredded coconut, and pineapple chunks. Bar cookies, Ritz crackers dipped in white chocolate, and pies are in the mix, too. Williams’ husband, Ray, who always shreds the carrots for the carrot cake, is a pastor, and they play contemporary gospel music in the kitchen, where baked goods cool. When customers walk in, Williams sets aside the baking and attends the counter. The youthful grandmother in a white chef’s coat greets visitors dazzled by the choices with a soothing, “Hey, baby,” and asks what she can box up for them today.
Bread of Heaven Bakery
2311 East Ash Street, Goldsboro, N.C. 27534
(919) 739-5777
Visit the rest of the delectable independent, local bakeries in Our State‘s North Carolina dessert tour:
The Sisters McMullen
Mountain Pie Company
Jimmie’s Sweets
Rosebriar
Hayes Barton Café & Dessertery
Cheesecakes by Alex
Paul’s Pastry Shop
Seaside Cheesecake Dessert Shoppe
Savannah Red
Bailey Café
The Bakehouse
Sugar on Front Street
To commemorate our 90th anniversary, we’ve compiled a time line that highlights the stories, contributors, and themes that have shaped this magazine — and your view of the Old North State — using nine decades of our own words.
From its northernmost point in Corolla to its southern terminus on Cedar Island, this scenic byway — bound between sound and sea — links the islands and communities of the Outer Banks.
Us? An icon? Well, after 90 years and more than 2,000 issues celebrating North Carolina from mountains to coast, we hope you’ll agree that we’ve earned the title.
After nearly a century — or just a couple of years — these seafood restaurants have become coastal icons, the places we know, love, and return to again and again.
