Come to this bakery in tiny Waco for the desserts, but stay for the lunch

One of the best kept secrets of Madison County, The Side Porch Cafe has been serving up an assortment of pastries, custom cakes, cold brew coffee, sandwiches and much more since its July 2019 grand opening.

Now the charming, family-owned bakery is offering a bevy of treats such as the cookie boxes, red velvet bundt cake, and chocolate dipped and moscato-infused strawberries that were offered recently for Valentine’s Day.

They were the latest in a string of specially themed events coordinated by the family-owned bakery that have also included a Harry Potter Week and in-store appearances and at-home deliveries from the Grinch during the holiday season.

Off the beaten path in the unincorporated district of Waco in eastern Madison County, The Side Porch Cafe is in an historic building on what was once a bustling corridor years ago. Since going up the structure has served as a grocery store, a church, a daycare, a tanning salon, a cattle processing plant and most recently, storage space, before becoming a bakery.

In 2017, Rhonda and Tyler Blevins moved to Waco and noticed the building along with the lack of food options close by. With daughters Lexie Rose and Brooke Rose (who has a culinary degree in baking and pastry arts from Sullivan University in Louisville), the family began renting the historic building in January 2018 before launching the Side Porch in July 2019.

From the start the Side Porch, named after a covered porch running the entire length of the building, has featured a diverse menu that has continued to grow in the months since. Beginning with housemade chicken salad, ham and turkey sandwiches, cupcakes and custom cakes, the bakery has expanded to offer other baked goods such as cream horns, cannolis, cinnamon rolls and turnovers in addition to coffee, dessert tacos, soups, ice cream, oatmeal, parfaits, biscuits and gravy, pimento cheese, wraps and more.

“Initially our plans for the space included just a Crockpot and a hot plate,” said Tyler Blevins. “Quickly discussions turned into ‘we need doughnuts and sandwiches and this and that,’ leading things to begin taking on a life of their own.”

The menu also features a growing variety of keto, gluten-free, vegan and hypoallergenic items curated by Brooke. According to Blevins, the bakery’s most popular items are cinnamon rolls, cold brew coffee, hot chocolate bombs and parfait-style dessert cups.

New items are constantly being added to the menu, which are oftentimes announced on social media, a tool the Side Porch has maximized the use of to draw business and awareness to their blossoming bakery.

“Social media has been a Godsend for us in terms of getting the word out about what we offer and that we’re even here in the first place,” said Blevins. “Being located where we are it can be hard to attract business and get people in the door, especially during the pandemic. Facebook and other platforms have given us the chance to reach out to people that we may not have been able to connect with otherwise.”

In recent months, the bakery has started a delivery service. Currently the service is only available to Madison County residents and includes regular visits to McCready Manor, a retirement community in Richmond, where cupcakes are dropped off to give to residents on their birthdays.

The bakery is also looking to offer virtual baking classes and is starting to ship orders. Blevins said the shipping idea came about recently after the bakery received a Facebook message from a woman in Hazard who wanted to support the bakery but couldn’t in-person due to quarantining for COVID-19.

“We want to do whatever we can to accommodate our customers and to give them a distraction from everything going on in the world right now,” said Blevins. “If that means driving somewhere to deliver cupcakes, then so be it. Something like that has much more of a benefit to us than money. The community has been very supportive of us from day one, so we’re more than happy to do the same.”

The Side Porch Cafe And Bakery

Where: 225 Waco Loop Road, Waco

Hours: Monday-Thursday 7 a.m.-6 p.m., Friday-Saturday 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m.-6 p.m.

Online: Sideporchcafeandbakery.com

Call: 859-369-1017