Crowds may flock to the newest, trendiest bread and pastry shops, but sometimes getting back to the familiar can tickle the taste buds a little more.
State Fountain Bakery has been preparing desirable delicacies like dog bone cookies, chess pies and caramel cakes at Mississippi State University for more than 100 years—a feat many businesses might envy. The essential ingredient: community. It’s past, present and future are shaped by the Bulldog family.
While the bakery’s size has fluctuated through the years and products have come and gone, loyal campus bakers including Angel Jennings continue to mix recipes—many of them longtime secrets—starting about 3 a.m. in preparation for an early morning of hungry students, employees, alumni and visitors.
Jennings, a cake decorator with Aramark, the university’s food service provider, has been rising before the roosters for 27 years to prepare chocolate creme pies, chocolate chip cookies, fruit bars and more. Her work is driven, she said, by the time-honored baked goods and the bakery itself.
“I’ve been here for a long time now and enjoy the tradition involved—especially visiting with alumni and taking their orders, which usually include some of our oldest recipes,” she said.
Regina Hyatt, MSU vice president for student affairs, agreed.
“The recipes are certainly important—the dog bone cookies of today taste like the ones from decades ago,” she said. “But it’s the nostalgia and feeling you get from eating these treats that bring people back time and time again.”
Hyatt recently was at the center of seeing State Fountain Bakery make a welcome return to its original location on the first floor of Perry Food Hall, which was completely renovated over the past two years. Prior to the cafeteria upgrade, the bakery had two stints in Colvard Student Union. In the mid-1990s, all cafeteria operations—including the bakery—were temporarily relocated to the Union during the food hall’s first complete makeover, made possible by benefactor Jane Perry in memory of her late husband and MSU alumnus, George.
The first mention of State Fountain Bakery in the student newspaper, The Reflector, was when a 1922 article on the new and expansive cafeteria referenced the “bake shop.” Another early story lists breakfast there for 15 cents in the mid-1930s.
It certainly didn’t hurt State Fountain’s reputation in the early years to be included in the historic cafeteria, constructed through an $800,000 appropriation from the Mississippi Legislature. Once completed, the structure was considered the largest university cafeteria in the country and became known as an architectural showplace.
Its majestic look can be attributed to the architect commissioned for the work, Theodore Link, who is best known for his 1904 World’s Fair buildings and Union Station in St. Louis, and the Mississippi State Capitol. Early descriptions of what was then State Cafeteria point out its massive stone walls, cathedral-like interior and timber hammerbeam ceiling, all elements in Link’s use of the Richardsonian Romanesque style popular in the early 1900s. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History named the facility a “Mississippi Landmark” building in 1984.
Customers gather inside the newly renovated State Fountain Bakery in Perry Food Hall, where refreshed interiors, a restored counter and updated display cases greet students, employees, alumni and visitors picking up cookies, cakes and other baked favorites throughout the day.
Fast forward 100 years, and today’s bakery—inside that same building—reflects the original brown wood look and even boasts a soda fountain bar and stools much like those used in the Roaring ’20s.
“Its history definitely lent itself to the design choices we’ve made there. It’s a strong nod to tradition, but in a fresh, fun way,” Hyatt said.
Also fresh are the milk and eggs delivered from the university’s Bearden Dairy and South Farm poultry unit, just as they were more than 10 decades ago, according to the 1922 Reflector story. While still used in many memorable munchies and drinks that have endured over the years, they are also in newer provisions like the muscadine ripple milkshake and Edam pimento cheese croissant.
Approximately 250 visitors frequent the bakery each day and find a rotating menu filled with trendy boba or “bubble” teas, frozen drinks, tiramisu croissants, Nutella-stuffed donuts and peach coffeecake.
Gamedays at MSU are even busier, with alums hurrying to the bakery for tailgate goodies their families have purchased for years and new offerings like a beignet or breakfast sandwich filled with John Rosson’s “Awesome Sauce” jams, jellies and preserves made in Starkville. On cold days, fans warm up with the local Southbound Coffee made in Columbus.
Top Right: Baker Rolanda Smith is one of the smiling faces behind the sweet treats served at the State Fountain Bakery. Bottom Left: Angel Jennings, a cake decorator, ices a cupcake—one of the many baked goods served daily at the bakery.
Aramark Manager Donna Robinson, who recently began supervision of the bakery, said, “Some of the young kids may have never seen dog bone cookies until they come in on game day, but once they see them in the display they already love them.
“The bakery may be new to me,” she explained, “but I see the items that Angel and others are creating here every day and how good it all looks. I take pride in it because everybody knows where it is and customers love it.”
By Harriet Laird, Photos by Grace Cockrell, Beth Wynn, Landon Scheel with Aramark and MSU Archives
While no one knows for sure how old this State Fountain-staple recipe is, baker Angel Jennings knows it’s been in use since before she joined the bakery more than 30 years ago. Now, she’s helping share it with you so you can have a taste of MSU wherever you are.
Ingredients
- 1 cup softened, salted butter
- 1 cup shortening
- 1.5 cups granulated sugar
- 1.5 cups packed light-brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 4 large eggs
- 4.5 cups self-rising flour
- 2.5 cups chocolate chips
Cream the first four ingredients for 5 minutes on medium speed. Add vanilla and eggs. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour and mix on a low speed until blended. Add chocolate chips and blend on low until evenly mixed in.
Portion dough with a No. 40 cookie scoop and place 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 325 F for 8-12 minutes.
Yields 5 dozen, 3 inch cookies.