SOUTH VINEMONT, Ala. – Pioneer Bakery in South Vinemont has quickly become a favorite destination for breakfast and lunch. Wednesday afternoon, the parking lot was filled with cars and trucks and the tables full of families and co-workers who, after many years of wanting, now have a local eatery in which to sit down and enjoy a meal together.
Owner Jill Talley worked for over a year to renovate the building and ready it for business. There were many obstacles (including a global pandemic), but she was determined. That determination paid off when she was finally able to serve the first customers in November 2020. The popularity of the bakery and cafe was instant.
Mayor Radginal Dodson said he eats breakfast at the Pioneer Bakery about three times a week. “They have the fattest cathead biscuits you ever put in your mouth! She’s a good cook. I mean the food is good and the breakfast is out of sight.”
The back corner table is where the local elder men have begun gathering each morning to talk over a cup of coffee and a bit of breakfast. Another nearby table is home to a group of regulars Talley jokingly refers to as the “cowboy bunch,” who gather each morning to discuss matters.
Pioneer Bakery is much more than a bakery. Yes, you can get cheesecakes, cookies, cake pops and other goodies, but burgers, sandwiches, vegetables and other home cooked meals make the Pioneer Bakery a wonderful addition to the town. Talley also offers frozen lemonade, frappes, coffee and a large variety of other drinks.
Said Talley, “We opened the day before Thanksgiving and we just had people come in and grab things to eat with their Thanksgiving meal.” For the few weeks after that, she said, she cooked lunch and then when more help came in in December, she was able to open for breakfast. “Breakfast is where it’s at! I do homemade biscuits, and Saturday is our busiest day of the week. It was full in here on Saturday with people waiting on the porch to get in.”
She continued, “Vinemont has been very good, and everyone has been excited and welcoming. There was a big need for this. I have a lot of men who come in in the morning. We call them the coffee drinkers. They come in and get their coffee and maybe eat a little bit and stay a while. We have a lot of teachers from Vinemont, and I never really realized how many businesses are in Vinemont. We get a lot of hungry people from those for breakfast and lunch.”
Cheesecakes are Talley’s specialty, and she also makes beautiful cake pops. She said she loves her slushie machine that can make lots of different drinks.
South Vinemont Councilwoman Sonya Adams said of her visit to the Pioneer Bakery, “It was so good. I stopped by last Saturday and I loved it.”
It has long been a dream for Dodson to have a restaurant in town. He said, “She has been wide open since she opened the door, but everybody likes good breakfast and that is the key.”
He added, “She deserves recognition! I am proud of her. I was nervous because I wanted it to fly good, and best I can tell, it’s flying good.”
The Pioneer Bakery is open Wednesday-Friday from 5:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and Saturday from 5:30 a.m.-noon. On Saturday, Feb.13, a local balloon artist will be at the bakery creating fun balloons for the kids. It is located at 149 Patton Drive in Vinemont.
Talley said she has plans to possibly open later for special occasions like Vinemont football games.
Find out more at www.facebook.com/Pioneer-Bakery-109235494067393.
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