Little Debbie Bakery Store in Tennessee

Two of my favorite childhood memories revolve around baked goods. And I'm not talking about anything my mother made; while she was wonderful at any number of things, baking--and she'd be the first to admit it--was not among them. The story's the same for the rest of our immediate family.

No, I'm talking about 1) a tour of the old Colonial Bakery on 24th Street (or 25th Street, I guess) in Owensboro, at the end of which all us kindergarteners got free hamburger buns right out of the oven, and 2) the Dolly Madison truck driven by one of our good neighbors a couple of doors down.

He'd let us have a free snack cake once the "sell by" date had arrived and they hadn't been delivered. We didn't care. They were Zingers, and they were free. That's all I needed to know.

ONE OF FOUR LITTLE DEBBIE MANUFACTURING PLANTS

Well...not ALL. I've just learned that the plant where Little Debbie snack cakes are made is in Collegedale, Tennessee, near Chattanooga. Little Debbie is part of McKee Foods, and Collegedale is one of four production facilities.

While tours of the manufacturing facility at McKee Foods in Collegedale are not available, you will find the Little Debbie Bakery Store where, much like the old Colonial Bread Store in Owensboro, shoppers can enjoy discounts on their favorite Little Debbie items.

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HOW LITTLE DEBBIE SWISS CAKE ROLLS ARE MADE

And those items? Well, it all begins in the big factory. Here's how Swiss Cake Rolls, a popular Little Debbie variety, are made:

HOW YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN LITTLE DEBBIE SNACK CAKES

Now, I was unable to find video from the factory, but if you wanted to make your OWN Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pie (my favorite Little Debbie), this is how you'd do it:

And if you're craving Star Crunch right now, and you have the right ingredients, maybe you now have an activity in front of you:

THE STORY OF LITTLE DEBBIE

By the way, if you just go to the store and grab boxes of Little Debbies on a routine shopping trip, you may not CARE why this little girl with the hat is the spokes-character for the legendary snack cake brand. But if you do, this will fill in some gaps:

When you visit the bakery store, you'll notice items you don't normally see on your favorite store shelf. Reviewer Jason Neel had this to say about the outlet:

Even though little Debbie does not do corporate tours of the operations, you can visit their really quaint but well-stocked employee store. In the store, you can find some pretty unique items that didn’t make it to the shelves or were limited run items. All the items are very cheap so stock up while you were there.

And while you may go with the intent of loading up on goodies, snack cakes aren't the only items you'll find there, says Len McNabb:

You really need to come by. They've got all your favorites. And they've got different little knick knacks from pens, to ID holders, pocket note books etc. Something for everyone.

So, if you're a big fan and you plan on traveling through the Chattanooga area on vacation, don't forget to swing by Collegedale and visit the Little Debbie Bakery Store. You ALWAYS need snacks for a trip, right?

Kentucky Bakery Goes Viral After Posting Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cheesecake

One Kentucky Bakery recently broke the internet when they posted they were baking up Christmas Tree Cheesecakes for the holiday season. The post literally when viral within hours of hitting social media. I contacted the owners of The Cheesecake Fairy in Bardstown, Kentucky, and asked them all about their "sweet" baking success.

Kentucky IGA Bakery Employee Taught Herself How to Make the Most Stunning Cakes

Owensboro IGA Bakery employee is getting some major attention for her awesome cake decorating skills.

Molly Robinson recently moved to Owensboro from Louisville where she worked for another grocery chain as a cake decorator. We couldn't be more excited that she brought her talents to our community because she is incredibly talented and the most amazing part she's self-taught.