One small town in Grundy County has a population of approximately 1,500 people, but that does not include the thousands of visitors that travel from all around to visit Tennessee’s longest family-owned bakery.
Walking through the doors of Dutch Maid Bakery in Tracy City is like stepping back in time. Cindy Day, owner of Dutch Maid, compared the bakery to a working museum. Dutch Maid was founded in 1902 by Swiss immigrants and is the state’s oldest family-owned bakery.
“My favorite part of the bakery is when people eat what I make, and I get to hear them say that’s the best I ever had,” Day told me.
Day is the bakery’s third owner after an extended family member sold it in 2005. Sweetheart, the bakery is for sale! “I think we should move back to Tennessee,” Day recalls telling her husband Gary.
Her husband Gary was still undecided, responding with, “Are you nuts?!” But nearly two decades later, Gary told News 2’s Blake Eason that he’s pleased with what they’ve accomplished together.
“My daughter got me a shirt that says, ‘You retired, but you work for your wife now,'” said Gary with a laugh.
Everything in the bakery is hand-cut and handmade, carrying on a decades-old tradition. “It makes it where the items you make are made with love,” Day told me. “They are time, tested and true.”
Not to mention the ancient appliances that have been passed down through generations.
“Like this old antique mixer, it’s from 1928, and we still use it for fruitcake and fruitcake alone,” Day told me.
Nothing at Dutch Maid is quick or instant; each item is carefully crafted, according to Day. “It’s got such a warm sense about it, that feeling like they’re coming home to Grandma’s house,” Day pointed out.
According to the bakery’s sign-in sheet, visitors come from all over to have a sample of what’s within.
According to Day, salt-rising bread is the most popular, followed by sourdough, but cinnamon rolls are the favorite among everyone.
From bakery to café, Dutch Maid has stood the test of time.