More than a bakery

It’s often said the fastest way to the heart is through the stomach. For Ashley Ensminger, this unique connection started by baking for her son. What began as a weekly batch of signature cinnamon rolls for him, quickly grew into something more, the Messy Bun. A downtown bakery and café built on connection, comfort and community, “the Bun” serves everything from custom bakery orders to daily lunches and pastries, serving everyone who walks through its doors as family.

Ten years ago, Ensminger started baking special foods for her son who has egg allergies. Making a tradition for the family, she would bake special cinnamon rolls every Sunday for her son. One day, he told her, “Mama, these are some messy buns.” That special moment sparked the bakery’s clever name.

Ensminger always had the desire to start her own restaurant, and after watching her most loyal customer – her son – enjoying her meals and desserts, she decided to share her cooking with a wider community.

“I started baking for other people, and it slowly became what it is today,” she said.

For five years, Ensminger baked from home and grew her customer base until her business started to take over her home kitchen.

“I needed to make a decision if I was going to scale back or go bigger,” she said.

In 2021, during Covid-19, Ensminger bought a building. As she embarked on a year of renovations, she continued baking from home for her loyal customers. The Messy Bun officially opened its doors on March 21, 2023. This past March marked its three-year anniversary.

The Messy Bun offers daily lunch specials and a bakery for personalized orders. There are also allergen-friendly orders available for customers.

“We are one of the few places in Campbellsville that offer allergen-friendly, sugar-free, or gluten-free options for people,” Ensminger said.

The building, constructed in the 1960s, was once a popular chili dog joint in Campbellsville. In respect to the past, Ensminger sells chili dogs every day.

“We offer chili dogs every day as part of our lunch,” she said. “We do different specials every day, but we always serve chili dogs, just to keep that tradition.”

To this day, customers visit the Messy Bun and reminisce about the old days and their chili dogs.

“We have people who got married here…they’ve come in and told stories about how they got married at the courthouse, then came over here with their wedding party and they ate chili dogs,” she said. “They still come in on their anniversary and order a chili dog.”

Something wonderful about a downtown bakery is the community it creates. The Messy Bun catches a lot of attention from pedestrians, bringing in foot traffic. The customers who come in daily for their special chili dogs make the café so special, as do the families who have allowed the Messy Bun to celebrate their lives with them.

“There are several families…we have been a part of,” Ensminger said. “[We do] their wedding cakes, and then we do their gender reveals for their first baby. Then, we make their birthday cakes for their children up to the point where they’re 7 or 8 years old.”

Taliyah Hazelwood, the manager of the Messy Bun, has been working there for almost a year. She works a lot with customer service and preparing lunches. Hazelwood’s story at the Bun began when she was just a customer.

“I was a customer here first,” she said. “I just really loved the environment, and I saw that she was hiring.”

For Hazelwood, the work environment is very loving and understanding. She has a 7-year-old son, and she said when she needs to, she can take him to the café without there being any problems. Although she doesn’t enjoy baking or cooking, the Bun has given her a unique and special place to work with her fellow employees and the customers.

“It’s very sweet,” she said. “I feel like we have a lot of nice customers. I feel I haven’t encountered any angry people. I really like our regulars. I enjoy getting to see them every day. It just makes it like a family feel.”

A regular, Allen Gaddis, loves visiting the café. His favorite foods there include the meatloaf and any dessert Ensminger creates. Gaddis is such a lover of the desserts that he now has a custom-made turtle pecan brownie sundae named after him, the Allen Gaddis special.

Gaddis enjoys supporting Ensminger and her business. As a businessman himself, he loves to see others following their dreams and making a name for themselves.

“I have a great admiration for Ashley, the owner, and her desire to create her own path,” he said. “As a lifelong entrepreneur, I always want to support other local entrepreneurs and their desire to build a business that can better serve their community…I like the atmosphere and, the food is always excellent.”