When did King Cakes arrive at Baton Rouge? Tracking the roots of our intake of the centuries -old pastry – 225 Baton Rouge

• From Maggie Hayne Richardson
• Colin Richie Photo
• February 1, 2025

One of The largest ascending for a long carnival season like this year is the extra time it gives to sampling from the increasingly developing variety of cakes of a king. Known in New Orleans and once flavored with cinnamon only, King Cakes is now sold in every corner of Louisiana (and off) in countless interpretations.

This is no surprise. Rooted in the Roman tradition of Saturnalia, the royal cakes have shifted the form for millennia.

Their continuing evolution in Baton Rouge is only part of their history. It is honest to say that the red stick was once a carnival wasteland. But this slowly began to change around the mid-1970s, when the longest parade of the city was born, Krewe mytique de la Capitale. By the 1980s, two of the largest parades of the city arrived, such as the Spanish city in 1981 and Southdowns in 1987.

The parades invited royal cakes. By the end of the decade, King Cakes appeared when bakeries in the area began to see their commercial viability, says the Gambino Bakery – Baton Rouge Angella St. Romain, a veteran of baking industry since the 70s.

In the late 1980s, she worked at a small bakery in Brea Bridge when she attended a King cake workshop organized by a trading organization in Baum’s fine sweets in Baton Rouge.

“At that time, no one was selling king outside New Orleans,” she says. “I remember returning the idea to my owner and she said, ‘No one will buy cakes for a king. “

St. Romain was pursuing him anyway – and sold nearly 200 this year.

It was a sign of upcoming things. At the same time, New Orleans -based Gambino decided to open a place for Baton Rouge. (St. Romain would work for this in 2002) The owner Sam Skfo began to look at the famous royal cakes at the Baton Rouge store, where the pastry is not yet widely consumed.

“I remember saying himself,” This market is wide open, “says St. Romain. “He saw the opportunity. … I really took off. “

By the end of the 1980s, Gambino’s was selling a large number of cakes for King in Baton Rouge.

In December 1993, local New Orlians Felix and Cheryl Sherman discovered the bakery ragweed. They deployed King Cakes in January 1994, says their son Felix Sherman, Jr., who runs the store today.

The seasonal business has become a key component of the bakery identity. Ambrosia is expecting to sell 20,000 cakes to King this year. Traditionally, strawberry cream cheese and a recent start, Bavarian cream, are the most selling. So is the signature of Ambrosia Zulu King Cake, introduced in the late 1990s with a coconut formula, cream cheese and chocolate.

Companies like Gambino’s and Ambrosia still occupy much of the universe of the Cake of the capital King King, but nowadays they have much more competition.

Almost every grocery store in the city sells cakes for king. Smaller specialized bakeries such as Counterspacebr and Eloise Market and Cakery have become known for their originality, while Bougie Caterrmet Girls turns out to be high-end King and Queen Pakes with complex details.

Evolution continues with craft bakers such as Yaya’s Blooms & Dough, a mid -city bakery and honey bee bee Co., tingling with small batch formulas.

And the migration in New Orleans lives, with the arrival of the famous Dong Phuong King Cakes a few years ago at a handful of retailers such as Sweet Society, Saigon Hong Kong Seafood Market, PHO CAFé, Bao Asian Market and A & J’s Cofee Bean.

“There are so many places to buy king’s cakes these days,” says St. Romain. “It really grows.”

Origination

The 80s

The royal cakes migrate from the city of Cester to the capital. The Gambino – Baton Rouge bakery is one of the first in the area to sell them.

December 1993

Ambrosy bakery debuted in Baton Rouge and celebrates its first carnival season within weeks, marking the entrance to what remains some of the most popular cakes for the king in the city.

The end of the 90’s

The Ambrosia Bake presents its Zulu King cake. Stuffed with cream cheese and frozen with rich chocolate and coconut, King cake is still popular to this day.

This article was originally published in the issue of February 2025 of 225 Magazine.