In the mood for something sweet? If so, Mildred’s, a community staple, family-owned cafe might be your next stop to add that extra bit of sweetness to your day, be it to celebrate National Chocolate Chip Day on May 15 or celebrate yourself.
Going the extra mile to add that little something extra for its customers has been the cornerstone of Mildred’s success, says Evan Ashby, co-owner with his brother, Clayton Ashby.
“It’s a special thing because the love is still a huge part of why we do what we do, why we work so hard here,” explains Evan Ashby. “We just try and keep it simple, delicious and consistent with high-quality service.”
Serving a variety of specialty coffees, sandwiches, salads, soups, and baked goods, Mildred’s is well known for its Standard Breakfast Sandwich, but it’s chocolate chip cookie and chocolate chip banana bread that are equally worthy, says Ashby. They still use the same recipes his mother brought to the cafe in the 1990s.
For the ideal chocolate chip cookie, he says balance is of the utmost importance.
“You got to have the right amount of sweetness with the right amount of savory. A little bit of salt with your sweet to really enhance the chocolate. When you pull out that freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, it’s a little soft in the middle with a little bit of crisp on the edge,” Ashby says. “When you pull it apart and when you take a bite, it just melts into your mouth. When you get that chocolate chip with a little bit of butter, a little bit of sugar and a little bit of salt, all baked together, it’s warm goodness.”
But it’s not just the chocolate chip cookie that has star status, Ashby says, it’s also the chocolate chip banana bread that is deserving of a taste.
“One of the great things about banana bread is that everybody can agree that it is delicious, like the chocolate chip cookie. It is super approachable. Adding chocolate chips makes even somebody who maybe isn’t a huge fan of chocolate chips or a huge fan of banana bread, a fan of chocolate chip banana bread. That’s one thing that makes our banana bread a little bit different. It’s hard to deny the cream cheese icing on top. It makes the experience so well rounded and so perfect. That is how we approach our banana bread, and we do it in large loaf pans and slice them thick so that when somebody comes in and grabs a slice, it is a big treat,” he said.
Being able to serve the community is something that Ashby says he takes pride in and never takes for granted.
“The point of all this is that great food and great service brings people together and fosters a healthy community. Watching that legacy that my mom started being played out every day is my favorite thing,” he said.