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It
all began in 1880 when Anna Maria Faust, Merridee's
grandmother,
came to Minnesota from Sweden, bringing her most precious
recipes, a sense of tradition and an uncompromising set
of values for high quality food. She worked as a cook
in St. Paul and was at one time the head cook for the
Pillsbury family. Anna Maria always wanted to have a
bakery of her own. She enjoyed good conversation, good
humor and good coffee, which she brewed all the time.
Anna Maria passed on this heritage to her granddaughter,
Merridee.
Merridee Erickson grew up on the family farm near Winthrop,
Minnesota, baking breads, pies and sweets with her mother.
Saturday was bread-baking day, and by the age of nine she
was doing most of the baking herself. Merridee attended
the University of Minnesota where she studied Food Business.
While there, she met and married Tom McCray. In 1973, Merridee
and Tom moved to middle Tennessee. In 1981 Merridee began
retailing her fresh-baked goods from a little log cabin
in Fairview. As word spread, she was asked to open a shop
as part of the historic revitalization of downtown Franklin.
An old hardware store warehouse
on Fourth Avenue, that was once a harness
shop, became the home of Merridee’s
Breadbasket in the spring of 1984. Merridee’s quickly
became a favorite gathering place in Franklin.
Merridee was diagnosed with
cancer in the fall of 1993
and passed away in September
of 1994. She not only left
a legacy of great homemade
food and warm hospitality
but also one of faith, hope
and love. A tree was planted
in her memory at Five Points
in downtown Franklin.
Over the years Merridee’s
Breadbasket has continued
to grow. The menu has been
expanded and more space was
added in 1998 and again in
2005. |
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Today
Jim Kreider, Patti Jobe and an exceptional team of
dedicated bakers, cooks and customer service staff,
continue to provide local patrons and visitors from
far and wide a truly unique and delightful experience.
Everything is still made from scratch, the
old-fashioned way - resulting in not only great taste
but a nutritional
product as well. You won’t find any pre-made
mixes in this bakery – just bags of flour,
whole grains and sugar, flats of eggs and cases of
real creamery butter. It takes a lot of loving care
to transform these staples into the delicious pies,
brownies, cookies and breads you will find on the
shelves every day. The menu includes the ever-popular
chicken salad sandwich as well as tuna salad, egg
salad and pimento cheese sandwiches, and a variety
of grilled specialties all served on fresh homemade
bread. In the fall of 2006 a full-service espresso
bar was added, offering an extensive menu of old-world
Italian style specialty coffees and espresso drinks.
Merridee’s also features a daily variety of
homemade soups, quiches, fresh salads and delicious
desserts of pie, brownies, cakes and cookies.
Merridee’s Breadbasket has been featured in Southern
Living
Magazine, on the Food
Network’s “Best
of Baker’s
Show” on Nashville Public Television’s "Tennessee
Crossroads" and has received the Sizzle
Award from Southern
Exposure Magazine
for being voted Best Bakery in Williamson County… three
years in a row!
Come and see why Merridee’s continues to be a favorite place for local
folks and visitors to gather and share good food, good conversation and good
coffee.
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