Home of the Original Cream Cheese King Cake

Story by Lyda Kay Ferree, The Southern Lifestyles Lady. Photography courtesy of Kacie Reed Knight & Paul’s Pastry Kitchen.

The most delicious and moist King Cake I have ever tasted is from Paul’s Pastry Shop in Picayune, Mississippi. The bakery’s slogan is “The Biggest Little Bakery in South Mississippi.” Picayune (population: 16,000) is approximately 45 minutes northwest of Biloxi, 45 minutes from New Orleans, and one hour from Hattiesburg, so its King Cakes and other delectable bakery treats are well known in South Mississippi and Louisiana. Paul’s Pastry Shop is two hours from Mobile, home of the first Mardi Gras celebration (not New Orleans, contrary to popular belief).

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing Sherri Thigpen, the owner of Paul’s Pastry Shop.

VIP: Tell me about the history of your bakery.

Sherri Thigpen: My parents, Shirley and Harry Paul, founded Paul’s Pastry in 1970 when I was thirteen years old. My dad borrowed $3,500 from his father to start the business. I spent many afternoons after school and on weekends helping out at the full retail bakery, which was an 850-square-foot rented facility. My family was from California, but we moved to Picayune because my dad worked at Stennis Space Center where they began testing shuttle engines near Picayune. In 1988, I bought a second location, a 5,000-square-foot bakery, from my parents.

Originally, we baked birthday cakes, cookies and pies. Two years after opening, around 1972, because of requests from employees of the Stennis Space Center in Picayune and other workers from Mississippi and Louisiana, we began baking King Cakes. My mom’s slogan on her business card was “The Innovative Bakers.”

We wanted to bake a King Cake that had completely different dough and filling, something with flavor because our patrons liked our flavored birthday cakes. We experimented and came up with a dough recipe that we currently use. It’s more like a sweet bread similar to Danish brioche dough in New Orleans. We wanted to put filling in the cake to see, eat and taste. It would be a little surprise like the miniature baby doll inside the King Cake.

We got the King Cake where we wanted it with strawberry and blueberry flavors. Then we added cream cheese to it, which was a customer’s suggestion. We started making strawberry and blueberry flavors with cream cheese.

At first, some customers did not think our cake was a King Cake because it was different from any King Cake they had tasted. We experimented with flavors, and now we have the largest selection of flavors of King Cakes. A lot of bakeries make filled King Cakes, perhaps Pecan Praline King Cakes, but none put an assortment of flavors in one cake like we do with Berry Deluxe. We have trademarked “Home of the Original Cream Cheese and Fruit Filled King Cake!”

In 1988, I bought the business from my mom, and the following year I expanded to a second location. I was there for about 18 years. In 2005, we purchased property on the intersection of an interstate and built a shopping center with our bakery as the anchor store, and we employed about 35 people. In 2017, my daughter and son-in-law became part owners in the business.

We employ about 48 full-time and part-time employees. During Mardi Gras season we employ about 12-15 additional people, but we get orders for King Cakes year-round.

Now we have retail, a party room and café, and a wedding venue that opened in October of 2006. A wedding consultant offers cake tastings. Our doors are open Monday through Saturday from 9am-6pm. We serve pastries and our popular Butter Brickle cookies, coffees and drinks all day, and lunch is served from 11am-2pm.

VIP: Have you trademarked Paul’s Pastry Shop—Home of the Original Fruit and Cream Cheese Filled King Cakes?

ST: Yes, we have. We were the first bakery in the country to make King Cakes with fruit and cream cheese. Some bakeries were making them when we started making them, but they used a Spanish dough. We use a sweet, heavier dough. We have used our family’s recipe for 50 years.

VIP: What new flavors are you now offering?

ST: Last year we began making three new flavored cakes. Raspberry Amaretto is outstanding. It is a cream cheese mix with amaretto, sliced almonds, and raspberries. Italian Cream Cheese is new. It consists of cream cheese mixed with pecans and coconuts, and it is like an Italian Cream Cheese Cake. Another very popular new King Cake is Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Cake. I love all of them or we wouldn’t be making them, but everyone loves the Raspberry Amaretto Cake.

During Mardi Gras (Mardi Gras day is February 16 this year; it is always the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday.) we offer a Cinnamon Cream Cheese Cannoli filled with a cinnamon cream cheese mix and topped with a cream cheese icing. We also sell petit fours made of cinnamon cake. We now ship second-day air. We still offer A Party in a Box.

VIP: This year Mardi Gras falls on Valentine’s weekend. What flavors of cake will you ship during this busy time?

ST: We will ship Mardi Gras and Valentine’s cakes. For Valentine’s Day our Raspberry Amaretto, Cherry Cream Cheese, and Strawberry Cream Cheese cakes will be very popular.

VIP: Do you sell King Cakes year round or mostly during Mardi Gras?

ST: We sell them year round. When Mardi Gras season ends, we decorate our cakes in spring colors. We have cakes for Easter, July 4th and all holidays. Visit our website for a list of all of our cakes: www.paulspastry.com

VIP: How many wholesale and retail locations sell your King Cakes?

ST: We have 54 wholesale locations or other retail locations that sell our King Cakes. In Mobile, two hours from Picayune, you may purchase our King Cakes at Hope’s Cheesecakes during Mardi Gras.

VIP: Do you insert miniature baby dolls in your King Cakes? Do you sell King Cake bakeware?

ST: Yes, we still put the little baby doll in the King Cakes before they leave our bakery. We have three caution labels on our packages. We do not sell the bakeware for King Cakes. In the future, we may have King Cake mix in a box to sell retail. My daughter is joining our business (She is third generation in our business.), and her grown kids are working at our bakery. I hope they will take this on.

VIP: Do you sell more King Cakes than any other bakery in the nation?

ST: Not in the nation. But we sell more King Cakes than any other bakery in Mississippi. Gambino’s, Haydel’s and Randazzo’s bakeries in New Orleans sell cream cheese cheesecakes. Most of the New Orleans bakeries put the filling in between the braids, and some put it on top of the King Cakes. I love all of my bakery friends. We all want each other to have good King Cakes.

VIP: How much cream cheese do you use?

ST: We now get our cream cheese in 30-pound blocks. We literally use tons of it in six weeks!

VIP: Is it true that your bakery offers the largest selection of cream cheese-filled King Cakes?

ST: Yes, I’ve never seen anybody offer a larger selection. We offer a King Cake with four different flavors in the same cake. We have a cake called The Berry Deluxe with blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries over cream cheese. We offer about 50 flavors including savory cakes like Boudin, Jambalaya and Spinach and Artichoke. My favorite savory cake that we make is the Spinach and Artichoke topped with garlic, Italian spices and cheese. We started offering savory cakes about 12 years ago. We do not ship the savory cakes because of the meat in them.

VIP: Should the King Cakes be refrigerated or frozen, and how long will they stay fresh in the refrigerator or freezer?

ST: When we ship, we have a label recommending to the customer that he refrigerate our King Cake, which will keep for 2-3 days. The King Cake may also be frozen for up to three months (Thaw for a few hours.) before eating.

VIP: Who are some of your celebrity patrons, and do they call or order online?

ST: Among our celebrity patrons are Reba McEntire , President George Bush, Garth Brooks, the cast of “Mythbusters,” Gerald McRaney on “Major Dad” (a TV series), Delta Burke, Jay Leno and Brett Favre, who is from nearby Kiln, MS. They order online.

VIP: How much notice do you prefer on shipping King Cake orders?

ST: At least 48 hours. As we get closer to Mardi Gras, the earlier customers order to ship, the better.

VIP: What is the price range of shipping your King Cakes?

ST: Now it is a two-day delivery with an added charge of $10 to ship overnight. The fees depend on the size of the cake. It is easier for the customer to place his order online at paulspastry.com. Go online for fees and to place an order. All of our flavors are listed on paulspastry.com.

History of the King Cake

In European countries, the coming of the Wise Men bearing gifts to the Christ Child is celebrated twelve days after Christmas. The celebration, called Epiphany, Little Christmas or the Twelfth Night, is a time of exchanging gifts and feasting.

All over the world people gather for festive Twelfth Night celebration. One of the most popular customs is still the baking of a special cake in honor of The Three Kings… “a King’s Cake.”

The Europeans hide a bean inside their cake, and the person receiving the bean must portray one of the kings. It is said that a year of good fortune awaits the lucky person who gets the figure inside the cake.
Residents of Louisiana and the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast like the idea of perpetuating the celebration by having the person who received the baby continue the festivities with another party and another cake. Starting the twelfth day after Christmas, King Cake parties continue until the first day of Lent, ending on Fat Tuesday…Mardi Gras Day!

King Cakes are now decorated in three colors: Green—representing Faith; Purple—representing Justice; and Gold—representing the voice of Power.

What To Know

Paul’s Pastry Shop
1 Sycamore Road, Suite A, Picayune, MS 39466
(601) 798-7457 or (800) 669-5180
sales@paulspastry.com
www.paulspastry.com
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
To speak to a person at the bakery please call Monday-Saturday from 9am-6pm.