A 'rewarding' tradition

MILTON — A family-owned bakery has served the community for more than 50 years.

Santa Rosa County residents have flocked to Milton Quality Bakery for various sweet treats since 1962. The establishment was located on Stewart Street before it moved to its current location — 6727 Caroline St. — in 1964.

Lenzo Malone, the business' founder, worked at other bakeries in Pensacola and owned a small grocery store in Milton before deciding to open the bakery. Lenzo’s father was also a baker, along with his siblings, so the trade ran in the family.

According to Lenzo’s daughter, Frances Michener, Lenzo went into business with Frances’s husband, Kenneth, shortly after they married.

“When [my husband] got out of the Navy, he came to work with my dad,” Frances said. “He knew we wanted to get married, so he said, ‘Well, if you’ll stay here, we’ll build a new building and we’ll have a big bakery [together].’”

Lenzo and Kenneth have since died, but the tradition lives on through Frances, her son Eric and his two sons. Frances and Eric own and operate the business that currently employs 30 staffers, and there is always at least one person at the bakery around the clock, according to Frances.

The bakery is open every day of the week, from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m., and employees work throughout the night to bake goods and prepare for the next day’s rush. According to Frances, they have many regular customers who come in every day to satisfy their sweet tooth.

The business has a Facebook and Instagram page; however, simple word of mouth by customers who have been coming around for years also helps. According to Eric, there are always economic ups and downs throughout time, but he said his father and grandfather were effective businessmen and set them up for success.

“In being here so long, people know about us,” Eric said. “We don’t really push. I feel like we’re running about as fast as we can now … We’re not worried about cutting back to save money, we want to give somebody the best product and the most they can get for their money, and just offer something different that you can’t get from other businesses.”

According to Frances, there are often former Milton residents who travel through the area and stop by for a quick treat and a dose of nostalgia. Milton Quality Bakery is in its fourth generation, and Frances said they plan to carry it on throughout the family for years to come.

“The bakery business is not an easy business,” Frances said. “But it’s rewarding.”

This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: A 'rewarding' tradition