Although Allison Mowry’s passion for baking is old news, her bakery is always causing a buzz. Mowry Baking Company celebrated its grand reopening on September 10th after a change in both name and location. Now housed in downtown Decatur, Mowry Baking Company is poised to receive an influx of student business due to its newfound proximity to campus.
Mowry has been baking for half her life. At the ripe old age of 11, she began selling her own baked creations to friends and family, followed by her graduation from the Wilton Institute of Cake Decorating at age 12. The year after that, Mowry graduated from yet another baking and cake decorating course, this time under the tutelage of the renowned Colette Peters. Finally, at age 15, her baking instruction ended after her graduation from the Art Institute of Chicago’s culinary program. Mowry’s simple hobby had transformed into a career over the course of just four years.
Currently, the former Macon County Fair Queen is a very busy young lady. As a businesswoman, student, and active member of Pi Beta Phi, she has a lot on her plate—no food pun intended. However, she doesn’t let her busy schedule stop her from enjoying what she does. “There was a couple I used to bake for when I was 14; they were dating,” she reminisced. “I made their birthday cakes while they were dating, their wedding cake, and now we make their kids’ birthday cakes, which I think is awesome.”
Decatur thinks her work is awesome, too—the Mowry Baking Company Facebook page is littered with all sorts of comments complimenting the bakery’s intricate designs and delicious confections. The bakery does a lot of custom cake orders, but they also accept orders for custom cookies and cupcakes. Cupcakes are readily available for purchase in a variety of flavors. Act quickly, though. To ensure freshness, once a flavor is sold out for the day, it’s gone until tomorrow.
The next time a sweet tooth craving occurs, this bakery can surely lend a hand. Now that it’s closer to campus, Mowry Baking Company is even more accessible to the Millikin community. What better way to get through a day of studying than with a treat a classmate baked for you?
Mowry Baking Company is located at 231 N. Main Street (next to Paco’s Sol Bistro). The hours are Tuesday-Friday from 10 AM to 6 PM and Saturday from 9 AM to noon.