Day Trips
The Collin Street Bakery along the northbound side of I-35 in Waco serves up fruitcakes for weary travelers
By Gerald E. McLeod, Fri., March 19, 2010
Collin Street Bakery has added another roadside rest area for travelers on the northbound side of I-35 in Waco. The venerable fruitcake company's first foray outside of Corsicana is a welcome treat for hungry commuters on the artery between Austin and Dallas/Fort Worth.
Opened earlier this year, the Southern-plantation-style building is hard to miss at the Bellmead exit. Surrounded by large windows, the bakery's dining room is as warm and comfortable as one of the fresh-baked loaves of bread that fill the cooling racks. The tables and chairs on the shaded porch are a nice touch, even if the interstate highway provides a constant roar as background music.
The answer to the most-asked question? "Around the side, at the end of the hallway." Large, clean restrooms are essential, and the roadhouse hasn't overlooked the obvious.
Famous for the cakes it ships all over the world, Collin Street Bakery is equally adept at making pies, cookies, and other desserts. For more substantial fare, the kitchen makes sandwiches to order and has grab-it-and-go premade sandwiches as well. The bakery even offers espresso drinks.
One of the mysteries of the universe is why it is so hard to find a good cup of coffee anywhere along I-35 between the Rio Grande and the Red River. In my very unscientific research, I have found that between the 99th and 97th meridians even Starbucks has trouble making a good cup of drip coffee. A gross exaggeration, I know, but the Collin Street Bakery in Waco supports my theory.
What the bakery does excel at though is pastries, from croissants to brownies. Hit the restaurant at just the right time, and you can get a potty break, lunch, a snack for later, something to take to the family dinner, and be back on the road in less than 15 minutes. Sweet!
Collin Street Bakery started in Corsicana in 1896 baking bread but became famous with an old German recipe for Christmas cakes. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the company ships thousands of the familiar red tins filled with doughnut-shaped original deluxe fruitcakes around the world.
Over the years, the family-owned company has grown to include its own pecan-shelling plant and fruit plantations in Costa Rica. The bakers have also expanded the line of goodies to cheesecakes, pies, cookies, and cakes that can be shipped or picked up at one of the three locations.
The original Collin Street Bakery is still open daily at 401 W. Seventh in Corsicana. The new location in Corsicana is at the intersection of I-45 and Highway 287. The Waco location is at the Bellmead, or Highway 31, exit. Both of the plantation-style highway locations are open Monday through Saturday from 7am to 8pm and Sunday from 11am to 7pm. For more information, go to www.collinstreet.com.
976th in a series. Day Trips, Vol. 2, a book of "Day Trips" 101-200, is available for $8.95, plus $3.05 for shipping, handling, and tax. Mail to: Day Trips, PO Box 33284, South Austin, TX 78704.
