Koch's Bakery On South Broad Street Set To Close

Koch’s Bakery owner Barbara Davis has announced she will close the South Broad Street business in a few days.

The 84-year-old says it is just time. Lyle and Barbara Davis purchased the bakery in the 80s from Mike and Barbara Hailey, who had bought it from George and Irene Koch in the late 70s.

The bakery was located across from WDEF radio and TV and a favorite of Luther Masingill, Chuck “Jolly Cholly” Krause and Harry Thornton. The broadcasters would be seen frequently crossing the busy street bringing back to the station a dozen of those famous glazed doughnuts and they would share with WDEF employees. When Harry Thornton retired, he thanked the bakery staff on the air for the delicious cake.

While I was working at WDEF Radio in 1968, listeners brought Jolly Cholly several of their éclairs, a pastry filled with cream and chocolate icing. Jolly Cholly would eat them on the air then lick his fingers.

The late Jack Hatcher would eat several of their fritters and enjoy his coffee while selecting music for his noon radio show. Program manager Jerry Lingerfelt said their baked products were the best. Lingerfelt also liked their baked fresh bread.

Guests knew how Luther and the air personalities enjoyed Koch’s goodies and would often bring them a sack full before interviews.

WDEF’s Ben Cagle said it was like losing a friend when the bakery moved from across from the studio to 1900 Broad St., their current location. Mr. Cagle said after the move, station employees would make frequent trips up the street just to get the doughnuts.

Koch’s Bakery was a favorite place for the late Chattanooga Mayor Gene Roberts to pick up doughnuts on his way to city hall. He would often share with reporters including J.B. Collins with the Chattanooga News Free Press and Springer Gibson with the Chattanooga Times. Both journalists would eat two.

Commissioners Paul Clark and Jim Eberle would often join them. Clark said, “We’re not violating the Sunshine Law by eating doughnuts together.”

While I was on the air at WDOD in the 80’s the Davises fixed birthday and anniversary cakes for our listeners. They sponsored live Mountain Opry radio broadcasts on WDOD preparing several large sheet birthday cakes for visitors on the Opry’s anniversary dates. Frank McDonald with the Dismembered Tennesseans joked, “Our group shows up at anniversary time just to get a piece of that delicious cake.”

The Davises were known to send baked goodie trays to the station during the holidays when veggie lady Marylin Gearldson and Delmar “Goatman” Hoskins were my guests.

The Davises even hosted several birthday parties for this writer with special guests longtime customer restauranteur Abe Zarzour and folklorist Dick Frymire.

Every time I went into the bakery, owner Lyle Davis would insist I take a sack of baked goods back to the radio station.

Barbara Davis gave me several on location tours of her spotless kitchen where everything was prepared. She said she would arrive in the middle of the night and enjoyed baking for her customers.

After Lyle Davis’s death, his wife was determined to keep the family owned business open six days a week. She often remarked, “I love to make others happy by baking for them.”

The success of one of the last of the downtown bakeries would have to be summed up in a few words, “the hard work of Mrs. Davis and her employees.”

Thanks, Koch’s Bakery, for bringing us decades of goodies to satisfy our sweet tooth and we will all miss the smell of fresh baked bread early in the morning.