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
In North Carolina, spring brings the scent of fresh-cut grass and memories of helping Dad mow the lawn.
Nostalgic burger joints are like time machines, delivering something extra special that keeps us coming back.
This tiny city block in downtown Greensboro once had a gigantic reputation. Not so much for its charbroiled beef patties — though they, too, were plentiful — but for its colorful characters and their wild shenanigans.
In the 1950s, as Americans hit freshly paved roads in shiny new cars during the postwar boom, a new kind of restaurant took shape: the drive-in. From those first thin patties to the elaborate gourmet hamburgers of today, North Carolina has spent the past 80 years making burger history.
