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Sweet treats
Published December 1, 2009
Nestled in the corner of the Albertville Jet-Pep is a sweet surprise called Granna’s Goodies.
The convenience store bakery is not a surprise to many residents on Sand Mountain, who already know Granna’s Goodies for its stunning variety of chess bars. The bakery’s Web site lists 20 mouth-watering flavors but there are seemingly no limits.
“We can do 50 different flavors,” Debbie Cheek said. “We’ll try anything people ask us to do.”
Cheek, by the way, is Granna, the dearest of monikers bestowed by two of the dearest people in her life – grandchildren, Will, 7, and Cathryn, 4.
Granna’s Goodies started small inside the Jet-Pep, a family-operated service station on U.S. 431, but has grown into a full-service bakery with a talented staff. Cheek’s daughter-in-law, Emily Lynn, used to operate a cakery in Albertville before bringing her talents to Granna’s Goodies a year ago. Cheek’s son and Emily’s husband, Jonathan Lynn, is the operations manager at the store and bakery.
“We started with brownies, chocolate oatmeal cookies and Rice Krispies treats,” Cheek said.
Today, Granna’s Goodies is able to create beautiful birthday and wedding cakes, prepare sweet party trays for large groups, and whip up whole pies and cheesecakes made to order.
“We have no secret recipes,” Jonathan said, noting the real secret is offering traditional homemade treats in individual servings as freshly as possible. “The only thing we don’t offer you’d expect to find at a bakery is a doughnut.”
Cheek said she’s loved cooking ever since she was a child and makes many of the desserts people used to enjoy growing up, like Rice Krispies treats.
“People can make these recipes, but people don’t have time anymore,” she said.
Jonathan jokingly said he plans to become the bakery’s head of research and development, which really means he’s the taste tester. He’s managed to stay in good shape despite the obvious temptations surrounding him daily.
But he has his favorites just like most people.
Jonathan loves the chocolate truffle and the peanut butter chess bar.
His wife Emily, the resident cake expert, said she prefers the Mississippi mud bar and the peanut butter cup chess bar.
One of the bakery’s cooks, Ashley Hallmark, is a fan of the coconut chess bar.
Cheek loves her Butterfinger chess bars.
The list of sweets is long and filled with interesting flavors. The bakery makes at least 13 kinds of pies, including holiday staples like pecan, pumpkin and sweet potato, as well as sugar-free yogurt pies. The bakery also features a handful of rich cheesecakes and nearly a dozen homemade candies.
“We’re always coming up with something new,” Cheek said. “We have a lot of regular customers, and we don’t want them to get tired of it. We make a lot of chocolate oatmeal cookies. I don’t think they’ll ever get tired of them.”
Cheek said she enjoys creating new versions of her chess bars, and even tries customer’s ideas on occasion. She seems to love her customers as much as she loves cooking, getting up to give one a hug during an interview with The Reporter on Monday.
“We have people drive up here from Oneonta, Susan Moore and Ider,” she said.
Jonathan said the goal is to give Granna’s Goodies a home of its own.
“We want a stand-alone bakery one day,” he said. “We have looked at buildings.”
Till then, Granna will continue doing what she loves inside the Jet-Pep, making that trip to fill up the gas tank a little sweeter.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
• Where: Albertville Jet-Pep, 5743 U.S. 431
• Phone: 878-8865
• Web site: www.grannasgoodies.com
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