Moravian flavors

The Wilkerson name has been synonymous with Moravian baking since 1930, when Dewey Guy Wilkerson opened shop in Winston-Salem. Beyond local church circles, his innovative methods helped popularize Moravian cakes and cookies. In his honor, his great-grandchildren opened Wilkerson Moravian Bakery in 2020, where they still use his original recipes.

By: Laura lee

“Our great-grandparents moved with six children to Winston-Salem and opened a business during the Great Depression, and we started ours in the face of COVID,” says Chelsi Ross Wilkerson, president of Wilkerson Moravian Bakery. “It means everything to our family to be baking for our community, carrying on traditions and honoring the memories of the loved ones before us.”

Opposite, from the top: Ingredients for Moravian cookies, Wilkerson brothers in the 1930s; This page, from the top: Wilkerson cheese straws, Mrs. Hanes' Moravian Cookie Factory cookies, Winkler Bakery

Moravian Culinary Trail

When German-speaking Protestants of the Moravian church emigrated to the United States in the 1700s, they brought with them the taste of home. Centuries later, local households are still comforted by signature sugar cakes and delicate cookies.

Part of Old Salem Museum & Gardens, Winkler Bakery was founded in 1800 and still uses the same cooking methods today. Stop in to pick up Moravian sugar cake, cookies, lovefeast buns, and more. Perioddressed bakers are ready to greet you at the door with fresh-baked samples, helping create a truly authentic experience.

oldsalem.org/winkler

Since 1930, Dewey’s Bakery has been making fresh Moravian sugar cakes and signature cookies in multiple flavors. Shop at two bakery locations in town, or pick up products at select Food Lion, Walmart, and Fresh Market grocery stores around the region. deweys.com

Wilkerson is known for Carolina cheese straws, as well as Moravian cookies and sugar cakes made with yeast dough, sugar, cinnamon, butter, and potatoes — an ingredient that contributes to the cake’s soft, moist qualities.

The bakery’s thin, delicate Moravian cookies come in seven flavors. “We love giving out samples and seeing everyone’s reaction as they take a bite,” says Wilkerson. “My favorite is the spiced cookie, which is made with molasses and is the thinnest of all. It brings back so many memories of my childhood. It just tastes like Christmas.”

Wilkerson also recommends the butter rum cookie, created by her father and inspired by the notorious pirate Blackbeard. It’s reported that when his ship was found off the coast of North Carolina, it contained vanilla, Allspice, cocoa, honey, and barrels of rum — ingredients that produce a pretty delicious cookie, she adds.

Wilkerson Moravian Bakery plans to build a new flagship store, but in the meantime, patrons can visit their location at 3443 Robinhood Road and order products online. wilkersonbakery.com

Stop by Mrs. Hanes’ Moravian Cookie Factory and see cookies being made firsthand by the factory’s legendary “artists in aprons.” The family-owned business packages more than 55 tons of dough each year while continuing to make all cookies by hand. Flavors include sugar, lemon, black walnut, chocolate, butterscotch, and traditional Moravian ginger. hanescookies.com