Mills Bakery: Same Ole Taste with a Fresh New Face

Family bakeries have an old world feeling to them and walking into one brings back a time-warp of memories of childhood,  which meant on Sunday mornings getting up and going to get the New York Times and then stop at the bakery for doughnuts, cakes and rolls, which would be consumed within a day.  Bakeries hold a special place in the heart for customers looking for goodies for all special occasions. When you walk through the doors of Mills Bakery in Woodridge, New Jersey, the shelves of colorful treats displayed like jewels in the case surround the entrance of this well-established bakery.

Under the ownership of John Cabrera since 2009, Mills Bakery has kept the traditions of German baking alive while introducing new items with contemporary flair. John still makes his doughnuts and cakes with recipes from the original owners, the Mills family, since the bakery was founded in the 1920’s. “Many of my customers have been coming in for years,” John explained, “and when I took over, I brought back many of the baked items that Mills had been known for that had stopped being carried under the previous owners. Many customers come in and when ordering something tell their own stories of past trips to Mills.”

John was born and raised in Hasbrouck Heights and went through eight years of schooling at Corpus Christi. He is a St. Joe’s (Montvale) Alumnus. He still resides in Hasbrouck Heights as well as his parents, Diane and Rick Heade. Mills was John’s first job in high school.

“I started working at Mills at age 14 washing dishes and doing little projects
around the bakery for the owners. Soon I was learning simple baking procedures
like putting sprinkles on cookies and dipping doughnuts into chocolate. By the
time I graduated, I moved into cake decorating and baking all items in the store. I really fell in love with the business and when I graduated from high school, I attended college at Johnson & Wales in Providence, Rhode Island. I graduated with an Associate’s degree in Baking & Pastry.

After graduation, John worked at Sugarflake Bakery in Westwood, New Jersey, a similar family business like Mills, honing his craft and keeping in the high standard of Sugarflake’s. After a few years and seeking a different opportunity, John applied and got the position of Head Baker at the Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. “I was blown away by the operation,” John said.

“I was 22 years old and had 30 bakers working for me, many of them being there for over twenty years. It took a month or so of getting used to, but became second nature to me after a while. It was a great learning experience. I was there for two years and kept building on what I had learned in the past. We produced excellent product.”

After two years and having the desire to open his own business, John got a phone call from his boss at Mills, letting him know that he was selling the business and wanted to know if he was interested. Jumping at the opportunity, John became the new owner of Mills in 2009, joining in keeping alive one of the many well-known family businesses in Bergen County.

“Many customers come in and love that they can get the same doughnuts and coffee cakes that they got here years earlier,” John said. “We use the same recipes that have been used for almost 90 years and use only the freshest ingredients, all made from scratch. Our top selling items that we are known for are our butter cookies, pecan rings and seven layer cakes. We also have an array of layer cakes, decorated cookies, brownies, pies, turnovers and fresh cannoli’s that are filled while you wait. Our jelly and glazed doughnuts are a big hit with the kids.”

“I also do a lot of special orders such as made to order wedding cakes, decorated cakes for all occasions and specialty cookies for holiday events. These can be ordered in advance to your specifications and are priced accordingly. Even though we don’t have a party package per se, we can do a wedding cake and can bake matching cookies as party favors for the table. We would just need advance notice on the item,” John said, whose website shows many of the cakes that can be ordered. 

“I also like to get involved in the community as well,” John said. “It’s good to give back to the communities that support my business. I sponsor a baseball and basketball team in Woodridge, am a big supporter of the Woodridge PBA and of Woodridge High School events as well as school events in Hasbrouck Heights such as ‘Project Graduation’. I just started participating in the Hasbrouck Heights Library’s Merchant Program. I also donate day old product to local shelters and to Corpus Christi’s ‘Meals on a Mission Project’, which feeds families in need. I also support baking internships from Woodridge High School and the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City.”

“I look forward to welcoming back old customers who have not been to Mills for a while and continue making our current customers happy with all our freshly baked items. There are not too many bakeries that still bake from scratch and we are hoping to make our traditions yours,” John added.

Mills Bakery
275 Valley Boulevard
Wood Ridge, New Jersey 07075
(201) 438-7690