On September 19, 2019 Mid-city Messenger reported that king cake master and baker Kelly Mayhew is opening up a new bakery close by to Bayou St. John and Orleans Avenue. A veteran, Mayhew mayhew came back from Iraq and enrolled in culinary school. The bread, and king cake especially, would generate lines down the block at the old location, which was ill suited to large numbers.
The baker initially started his business as a supplier of bread to restaurants. It turned out his side business of a brick and mortar bakery for the masses became big business for him. According reporting by Mid-City Messenger the new restaurant will seat 20. Quite a ways from the walk up window reminiscent of Sno-Ball shops that are a staple of New Orleans summers.
The story goes that a coffee shop was set to be put there, but the deal fell through. As luck would have it Mayhew stepped in and offered to open up a bakery in its place. This is a big step for the rising star. Baking is in his DNA, actually, as his family managed the first 10 Krispy Kremes in North Carolina, his home state. He came to New Orleans when he took a job at Brennan's, after it reopened, but he ended up baking on his own time and selling it at the Crescent City Farmer's Market. This mushroomed into the business that it is today.
The space that it will inhabit has a bit of a history as a Bibleway Missionary Baptist Church, but before that was a Petway and Joe's Food Store. The location will now house fresh bread and king cake for the whole year round, but only time will tell whether the wait time will improve. If you're looking to get your King Cake fix come this Mardis Gras season, this might just be a good place to find it. The location will have an open house where visitors can see the new digs and taste a little bit of Mayhew's cuisine. The viewing will take place on Thursday, September 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.. The bakery itself will be open beginning on October 2, Mayhew Bakery's will be open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The bakery will be closed Monday and Tuesday.Mayhew will be moving from their previous location to 3201 Orleans Avenue in the Bayou St. John neighborhood.
