The Milky Cow Co., previously a tricycle-based business known for ice cream sandwiches, is now a brick-and-mortar bakery in Ooltewah.
Owner Alexandria Johnston, who also works full time as an organ transplant coordinator, in 2023 started the Milky Cow as a hobby she could do on her days off work. It began as a business offering custom ice cream sandwiches out of a tricycle available to rent for weddings and parties.
About four weeks ago, Johnston opened a storefront for the business and expanded its offerings to include a variety of baked goods, including brownie and cookie cakes, thumbprint cookies, cake slices, cinnamon rolls and oatmeal “dream” pies.
She and her husband are Ooltewah residents, and after navigating a few road blocks, she found a space in town that perfectly met her needs.
“We already have great bakeries, but I think there’s room for another bakery and I do something a little different,” Johnston said in an interview. “I kind of cater to the little kitschy stuff.”
Milky Cow Co. bakery opens in Ooltewah
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She might do homemade Pop-Tarts one day and make her great-grandmother’s cake the next, she said.
“I can kind of choose what I want to make, which is a little different than walking in and seeing 12 cupcake selections and some cookies,” Johnston said of her offerings, most of which are baked fresh daily. “It’s a huge variety, and there’s not a lot of places to walk in and get a warm cinnamon roll that’s made from scratch that morning.”
She shares what she decides to make each day on social media to let her customers know what to expect, she said. Some items are available every day, including the cinnamon rolls, which she bakes every morning so they’re served warm.
The Milky Cow already is getting some regular customers who return to the shop several days in a row with a craving for a particular item. Cinnamon rolls are among the bakery’s most popular treats, as are the oatmeal dream pies made with buttercream marshmallow filling sandwiched by two made-from-scratch oatmeal cookies, Johnston said.
The Milky Cow Co.
— Address: 5906 Main St., Suite 116, Ooltewah
— Hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 9-11 a.m. Saturday
— Instagram: @themilkycowco
Her great-grandmother’s cake is also a hit with customers, some of whom call the store to reserve a piece before it’s gone, said Johnston, whose grandmother would only bake the chocolate-on-chocolate cake – made in a special pan from her mother’s secret recipe – for birthdays, and no one was allowed to help.
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When she was around 11, Johnston asked her grandmother to let her make the cake with her, but her grandmother told her it wasn’t time yet. Johnston’s great aunt gave her the recipe behind her grandmother’s back, but she tore it up and said she wanted to wait until her grandmother was ready to give it away herself.
When Johnston got married in 2023, as a wedding gift her grandmother gave her a watercolor painting she made of her mother’s original typewritten recipe in a handmade frame.
“I’d love to put it on the gallery wall, but I can’t hang it up in here because it has the recipe,” said Johnston, who asked for her grandmother’s permission to sell the cake at the bakery.
Located on one of Ooltewah’s most heavily traveled streets near popular businesses such as Ooltewah Nursery, the new bakery already is experiencing high demand and often sells out before closing time. When that happens, she puts a sign on the door to let customers know she’s sold out and closing for the day.
“That’s kind of a new, trending thing for bakeries,” Johnston said. “I make everything fresh, so when I sell out, I’m done, and I go in the back and bake to be ready for the next day.”
Johnston operates all aspects of the business on her own but plans to hire staff due to the higher-than-anticipated demand she’s experienced so far, she said.
She’s preparing for a big crowd at her grand opening celebration from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The event will feature plenty of boxed baked goods, giveaways and several vendors, including boutiques and an artist offering temporary tattoos with bakery and Mother’s Day themes.
Contact Emily Crisman at ecrisman@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6508.