Faith's Fancy Catering & Bakery brings home-baked charm to Palestine

PALESTINE, TX (KLTV) - When walking into Old Magnolia Mercantile in downtown Palestine, one expects to see beautiful old antique pie safes, shiny porcelain-topped kitchen tables, and well-worn rolling pins, and that is correct; all of that and much more fills the aisles of the mercantile. But it holds an unexpected surprise, too; a cute little homestyle bakery!

Faith Miller's bakery is homey and small, and features items made fresh daily by Faith herself. She began her business out of her own home two and a half years ago, she said, making birthday cakes and wedding cakes for friends and family. Word of her delicious baked goods began to spread among Palestine's residents, and more and more people called, asking her to bake for them.

"I had been baking for years since I was 11 or 12 years old. My mom taught me, but I also would just get a cookbook out and try to make things," Faith recalls. "Then later, I worked for Pampered Chef and began learning even more, and took cake decorating classes, too. It's been kind of a progression."

Then, in late 2015, an opportunity presented itself. The lady who had been running a small bakery for the owner of Old Magnolia was retiring, and the spot became available for a new baker to come in and launch her own business. Faith jumped at the opportunity and began working out of the space on January 1, 2016.

Mobile users, see pictures from the bakery here.

"I love doing this; I can do catering out on location, or people can come here to buy what they want every day. I get a lot of birthday orders, all kinds of things," she said.

What is the best seller at Faith's bakery?

"My pies are one of my best sellers," she said. "Coconut, especially, and then my strawberry cheesecakes do well. My sopapilla cheesecake and tres leches cake topped with strawberries is becoming very popular, too!"

Even Faith's frosted cookies are special, with a Southern flair that many come back for again and again.

"My cookies are actually old-fashioned Southern tea cakes. They're not a dry sugar cookie like you get in many places. They have a chewy texture, and then I top them with homemade buttercream icing."

Related: Palestine's Oxbow Bakery: Trust us, you need this pie

I sampled the blueberry-lemon poke cake while there, and Faith shared how it is made.

"I bake the cake with the blueberries in it, then when it comes out of the oven, I poke holes in the top, and pour lemon curd over the whole thing. Then when it cools, I spread the lemon icing over it."

The square of cake on the small plate was so moist that it was heavy, and the flavor was lemon-y and fresh. 

Faith's motto is "Everything made from scratch with love," and based on the lemon cake alone, that is a winning combination.

You can call Faith at 903-948-8317. Her bakery is inside Old Magnolia Mercantile at 120 W. Oak Street in downtown Palestine. Her hours are 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. 

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