Tastykake Comes to Tallahassee

A Coal Regions and Philadelphia treat has come to Tallahassee - Koffee Kakes and Kandy Kakes. We bought these down the street at Flowers Foods.

Tallahassee feels a little bit more like home today. We can buy Tastykakes right down the street.

Flowers Foods of Thomasville GA bought Tastykake Corporation. The cakes are still made in Philadelphia - but Flowers Foods is expanding the market. A few months ago - Lulu and I visited their world headquarters in Thomasville. We were promised that Tallahassee would soon be able to buy Tastykakes locally. They kept their word.

In the Coal Regions - we were brought up on a steady diet of these cute little snacks. When I was a boy - we could buy a pack of their chocolate cupcakes - 3 for 5 cents. They were wrapped in waxed paper and were big enough to share with two friends.

Lulu's Dad - Jack Cox - worked for Tastykake for 35 years. He was a delivery salesman. He worked long hours servicing all the little corner grocery stores around Tamaqua. His day started at 4 AM and went on to 5 PM. He maintained his own delivery truck - and kept it at their homestead. Each morning - he would drive to a local warehouse and take delivery of the fresh products for the day - fresh from Philadelphia. In 35 years of service - he missed two days to illness - an admirable record.

Yesterday - Lulu stopped by the Flowers Foods Outlet on South Monroe Street. She bought two boxes - one of Koffee Kakes and one of Kandy Kakes. A box contains 6 packs of two cakes each. At $2.50 a box - that comes down to about 40 cents a pack or 20 cents a cake. Sure it is more than 5 cents a pack but that price was from 1960.

The cupcakes look quite a bit smaller than back in the 50s and 60s - I guess that is so they can say "only 90 calories a pack."

Now - when we feel we need a little taste of the Coal Regions - we can hop on the scooter or golf cart - go down the street - and buy Taskykakes.