By 6 a.m., Mike Parsons is a blur of flour and focus – mixing, scoring, and sliding loaves of sourdough into his massive Italian oven. Around him, the bakery hums as his early-rising crew (some clocking in at 3 a.m.) whip up trays of donuts, cookies, cakes, and breads – all before the doors open at 7 a.m.

Parsons opened his bakery in 1985, 40 years after his father established the original bakery in Richfield, Utah. His first location was at the now defunct Five Points Mall before he moved to his current location in The Square at 2600, both in Bountiful. With two of his children currently in the business, hopefully the ovens will keep firing for years to come.

According to Parsons, many of his father’s recipes are still being used. “I think my dad made almost every one of the cookies we sell,” said Parsons. “The difference is he used shortening but I use butter. Our Best of State angel food and chiffon cakes are his original made-from-scratch recipes.”

Mixed in with his traditional offerings are an ever-evolving array of pastries that keep patrons interested and excited, such as croissants. “My son Nick traveled the world waterskiing and fell in love with European croissants,” Parsons said. “Over time we’ve added traditional croissants, Kouign-amann, morning buns, sticky buns, chocolate croissants, and ham and cheese croissants to our menu. Sourdough bread is another newer item.”

His business model, however, stays old school. “We really do use quality ingredients and we’re one of the few sellout bakeries left,” said Parsons. “We try to estimate how much to bake each morning and then go home. At the end of the day, some pastries go on our day-old shelves, others we donate and some get thrown some away – like donuts. Donuts should be eaten within six hours.”

Another way Parsons clings to traditional ways of doing business is his refusal to jump on the delivery bandwagon. He makes an exception for wedding cakes. Otherwise, he expects customers to come to him. And they do.

“I have three generations of people coming into the bakery,” he said. “If you have a good, solid product they’ll keep coming back. Food is memories.”

Another thing Parsons eschews is franchising. “If you mass produce, you have to cut corners,” he said. “I’ve always been busy enough that I didn’t need to franchise. My father said, ‘Get your business to a point where it’s comfortable but not so big that all you’re doing is working.’” 

Surprisingly, the proliferation of cookie shops around town hasn’t cut into his business. “I actually think it’s helped because people try their cookies then come back to us because ours are better. Same thing with donut shops. I have great people making our donuts and people love them.”

Cookies are his biggest seller, followed by donuts and cakes, then bread. “People can eat one or two cookies every day, but a loaf of bread will last a few days,” he said.

At age 66, Parsons has cut back on his hours, arriving at 6 a.m. and leaving between 10 a.m. and noon. “I like coming in and working,” he said, “and I have my list of things I like to do. If I retire, I might be given a honey-do list.” 

His biggest challenge is getting teenage help to understand how to work. “One out of every 100 kids knows what’s going on and you do everything you can to keep them. They just want to be on their phones and don’t know how to use a mop or a broom.”
The best part of his job is watching little kids come in. “They get so excited!” he said.