Quality Bakery

Local bakery selling baked goods and pastries, including birthday cakes, petit fours, doughnuts made from scratch daily, brownies, and cookies, muffins of different varieties, including muffins stuffed with cream cheese. Come by to see all the other items available.

GULFPORT - Since 1949, the McKnight family has been baking tasty bread, doughnuts, cakes and other sweet treats at Quality Bakery. The business was started by James A. McKnight Sr., who was followed as a baker by his son, Al. The bakery is now run by third-generation family members, Patrick McKnight and Alesia McKnight LeBatard, affectionately called Lee Lee. Originally located on 13th Street, the business moved to its present U.S. 49 location in 1970.

There's an amazing variety of baked goods in the glassfronted display cases and the smells are overwhelmingly good. In addition to French bread, doughnuts, twists, cinnamon rolls and breakfast muffins, there are cupcakes and cookies of all kinds including frosted cookies for special occasions and king cakes.

Not one to waste anything, McKnight says his favorite part of baking is coming up with something different each day with leftover ingredients.

"I also like seeing people come in, especially the regulars," he says. "They're yanking on the door wanting in as soon as the hot doughnuts come out about six o'clock. If the front door is locked, they go to the back door."

This devoted baker gets up at 3:15 a.m. to begin making doughnuts and fresh brea