TASTE OF FORT PIERCE
POPULAR DONUT STORE
A FORT PIERCE TRADITION
Dixie Cream a local landmark since 1950s
Local folks have been enjoying Dixie Cream Donuts for decades. Manager Becky Babcock assists customers in the Fort Pierce shop. The owner, Carl Selph
Jr., opened a new bakery in Port St. Lucie.
In an age of Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks and Krispy
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Kreme, an 85-year-old Fort Pierce institution is making
headway against the national goliaths.
Dixie Creme, a modest bakery on Orange Avenue
known for fresh doughnuts cooked on the premises, has
expanded to 1364 SW Bayshore Blvd. Port St. Lucie. About
500 people showed up for the opening, with some waiting in a
block-long line for as long as two hours.
“That was crazy. I thought I was going to die,” recalls
Sarah Callis, partner and manager of the shop. While she
and employees filled orders as fast as they could, customers
waited patiently.
“It was a wonderful nightmare,” Callis adds. She didn’t
expect such a large turnout. Of the thousands of doughnuts
prepared, the shelves were down to just the glazed variety in
less than three hours.
“It was insane for the first two weeks,” Callis says. “We
ED DRONDOSKI PHOTOS
were very busy.” The holidays slowed things down a bit,
but business picked up and regulars continue to show up.
“People are coming in and making it their routine, adding
something to their early-morning schedule.”
Callis has worked at Dixie Cream for 14 years, starting as
a cashier and eventually moving up from trainer to manager
of the Fort Pierce store before becoming manager in Port St.
Lucie. Becky Babcock succeeded her in Fort Pierce.
Normally, the Fort Pierce store serves about 160 to 190
people a day. Port St. Lucie picks up more customers on
the weekend with about 200 a day, but the Fort Pierce shop
remains a bigger draw on a daily basis for two reasons: It is
larger, and it has been a landmark at 3210 Orange Ave. for
more than 50 years.
Dixie Cream Donuts is a Tulsa-based franchise that was
founded in 1929. The Fort Pierce Dixie Cream first opened on
Delaware Avenue in the 1950s and later moved to the Orange
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BY JERRY SHAW