It was just another day for the crew at Taylor’s Bakery when an order for 3,000 cookies came in, with a request for an afternoon delivery.
“It was all hands on deck, and there was flour everywhere,” says Yolanda Malott, president of Taylor’s Bakery.
It’s always about teamwork, every day, no matter what.
“There isn’t one person on our team who won’t jump in to help, from mixing the batter to putting the dough on pans, placing the cookies in the oven, re-traying and packaging the cookies, wrapping and boxing them, and getting them on the road,” says Malott, who has been part of the team for 36 years.
When she was first hired at 23 years old, she knew nothing about decorating. Like all employees, she learned via on-the-job training, getting trained in every department like the other employees, so everyone can fill in at whatever role might be needed.
“Because we cross-train, there’s always someone here to fill another’s shoes,” Malott says. “This way we are never in crisis mode if someone can’t make a shift.”
Through the years Malott worked her way up to manager, then later became vice president, and is now president of the company. She’s been thrilled to be a part of this special 111-year-old business because of the people she gets to work with and the customers she gets to serve.
When Malott first started working at Taylor’s, she laughed at the way older employees told their customers, “Wow, I remember when you were little, and look how you’ve grown!”
Now she finds herself saying the same thing.
“I’ll be like, ‘Gee, you were just this big when I first started waiting on you, and now you’re a lawyer!’” she says. “It’s crazy.”
Having worked at Taylor’s for nearly four decades, she has seen customers come in as little kids, then grow up and return with children of their own. She’s also had loyal customers pass away, and she’ll attend their funerals because she’s grown to love them. It’s common for customers to bring in Christmas cards or other holiday-themed gifts for the staff, which now consists of roughly 45 employees.
Not surprisingly, this is their busy season. It’s not unusual to see lines out the door in Indy and Fishers. Customers tend to be patient as they understand the tasty treats are well worth the wait. Plus, the team at Taylor’s makes the experience fun.
“We’ll start singing Christmas carols and the customers will chime in with us,” Malott says. “It eases the pain of waiting when you’re belting out ‘Here Comes Santa Claus’!”
One day recently, there were 30 customers in line, one of whom was a little girl with her mother coming to pick up the child’s birthday cake. The staff called out, “It’s Betty’s birthday!” and the whole room, customers included, began serenading the birthday girl.
“We take care of our customers and they take care of us,” says Malott, who describes their customers as “good as gold.”
“Even on our hardest days, we are laughing because our customers put us at ease,” she says. “Every day we have customers thank us for what we do, and that makes it all worthwhile.”
She’s also eternally grateful to her employees, from the decorators to the bakers to the finishing table, as well as the cleanup and front-end staff.
“We are a family, and you cannot find any better employees than at Taylor’s Bakery,” she says.
Recently a gentleman told Malott how magical he finds Taylor’s Bakery. The dedicated staff work around the clock to make the magic happen. The doughnut friers arrive at 11 p.m., the bakers at midnight, and the first decorators at 2 a.m. There are also 3, 4, 5, and 6 a.m. shifts. Malott usually comes in at 3 a.m. and leaves at 7:30 p.m.
They are long days, but they are full of sweetness – literally.
Taylor’s is a full-line bakery selling popcorn, cakes, bread, doughnuts, coffee cake, cookies, cupcakes, Danish pastries, brownies, ice cream, pies, tiered cakes, individual desserts, quiches, party trays, and even dog treats.
“Our homemade dog treats are a hot item,” Malott says. “Believe it or not, people come in just for dog treats, sometimes grabbing six bags at a time.”
As far as seasonal goods, their top sellers are their decorated cookies, particularly Santa faces, wreaths and gingerbread men. These cute cookies are buttery soft and melt in your mouth. They also make yule logs, which are chocolate cakes with mint icing swirl through them, topped with creamy chocolate icing.
“Then we have the Christmas poinsettias on top made out of our red cream icing, which is to die for,” Malott says.
Pies are also a fan-favorite dessert, and they have a plethora of options, from apple and cherry to pecan, pumpkin, and Key lime with whipped cream. In the month of December, they sell peppermint angel food and homemade peppermint ice cream (sometimes they sell these items during Christmas in July).
Another hotly requested item is their white cake, which people often refer to as their wedding cake.
“That’s what we’re known for – our white cake with almond rum flavor,” Malott says. “People always tell us, ‘That’s the best cake I’ve ever tasted.’”
For more information and location details, visit taylorsbakery.com.
