Business & Finance | March 5th, 2022

TC Bakery: Tallahassee’s Southside Bakery

By: Sasha Williams

Located right across the street from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University sits a Black-owned business named TC Bakery, which happens to be the only bakery located on the south side of Tallahassee, Fla.

TC Bakery is owned by Jennifer Young — a dedicated wife, mother, and business owner. Opened since 2019 at their current location on 614 Eugenia St., the bakery offers delicious desserts from recipes that came out of her southern grandmother’s cookbook. Every week there is a new menu serving different desserts, like pound cake, sweet potato pie, red velvet cake, blueberry shortcake cheesecake, chocolate ganache, and much more.

In 2016, Young began baking as a coping mechanism for dealing with post-partum depression after having her twins and caring for her three other kids. She used baking as a comfort to take care of herself and provide for her family while selling desserts outside of her home.

Photo courtesy Young 

“I needed an outlet, and baking was an outlet that I chose, and I picked up my momma’s cookbook that was her momma’s cookbook,” said Young.
Working as a grant manager for Florida, baking became a side hustle that Young started to benefit from, but as the business grew, it also began to grow outside of her home. After two years of baking and having a blooming business, she began scouting for places to rent.

Photo of Jennifer Young and her husband Joseph Young

Young ended up moving TC Bakery to the building on Eugenia Street. The building happened to be the same place her parents previously owned a soul-food restaurant, making it a landmark of legacy within her family.

“It took a couple of years for the momentum to get going,” Young said. “I found this place which is the place where my parents had their soul food restaurant called Ma Mary’s back in the 80s and 90s, and I called the landlord, and they remembered my parents, so they said they had to rent to me.”

After opening for five months in 2019, TC bakery sold not only desserts but also soul food options. However, when the pandemic hit, business dropped tremendously. Young decided to focus only on baking which made TC Bakery a niche that could not be competed with on the south side.

“Her success comes from her perseverance. She kept going even when things changed, and everything got shut down, she kept going and switched up her business, and she puts her all into her deserts,” said Karen Green, a childhood friend of Young and piemaker for the baker.

Young’s passion for her business has shown throughout the years of TC bakery success. Using her grandmother’s cookbook keeps the love in what she does while also baking for her community.

Recently TC Bakery has gotten a lot of popularity due to being featured in Black News Channel, The New York Times, baking cakes for celebrities, while also doing pop-up shops in major cities like Atlanta, Orlando, and Dallas. TC Bakery is also involved in commercial orders where customers can purchase her desserts like Tally Fish House, Earley’s Kitchen, the capital, and much more.

A loyal customer for over a year at TC Bakery Angel Tucker usually buys multiple cake slices every week.
“She rotates the menu which keeps you coming back, the first time I went to the shop, it was very inviting, and sometimes you don’t feel that way in most places, but she is always genuine and happy for your business,” said Tucker.

TC Bakery has big plans coming to grow beyond where they are now. Young has purchased a warehouse to become a commercial kitchen and plans to gain more commercial accounts to increase the locations for her deserts. She also plans on becoming the first Black woman to have a cheesecake in all major grocery stores.

To stay up to date with TC Bakery and order some delicious desserts, be sure to follow on Facebook at TC Bakery, Instagram at TCBakerytlh, and check out the website at www.tcbakery.com.