Jackson's new sweet spot: Mo Mo's Favorite Treats

Mo Mo's Favorite Treats at 129 S. High St. in Jackson, Missouri opened Friday and owner Melissa Flinn couldn't be more excited to share her cookies, cupcakes and specialty treats with fellow dessert connoisseurs.

Flinn and her husband Kevin moved from the St. Louis area within the last 2 and half years, and that's when she decided to expand her in-home bakery to a brick-and-mortar location featuring an open-concept kitchen, she said.

Melissa Flinn said before she relocated, friends and family kept telling her she needed to open a bakery soon because the cookies she baked at her home were so delicious.

Flinn said initially, she and her husband had no anticipation of moving to Southeast Missouri and opening a bakery. But after the move, she started baking out of her home, and "it just grew to a point where I was like, 'OK, I think I need a storefront.'"

This is Flinn's first venture in the food industry, but it is not new to her family. She said her dad's side of the family owned Dohack's for nearly 75 years, a full-service "landmark" restaurant in St. Louis, which is now closed.

Melissa Flinn shows some of her embroiderie designs Wednesday at Mo Mo's Favorite Treats in Jackson.Fred Lynch

"It's in my genes somewhere, right?" she said.

Flinn said growing up, her family liked to bake cookies during Christmastime, which is where she "kind of perfected" the sugar cookie.

She feels that God placed her in Jackson, Missouri to try her hand at her own business, she said.

As for the name, Flinn said her sister has given her "every nickname under the sun" since childhood, "and somehow 'Mo Mo' stuck."

"And how it goes with Melissa, other than the "M," I have no idea," she said.

When Flinn started baking from her home, the activity was covered under the "cottage food law," which allows the baking of certain food items at a residential location without being inspected by the health department, she explained.

"I did not anticipate it taking off as it did. It was almost like the city was dying for somebody to have these specialty cookies," Flinn said.

Mo Mo's offers cookies, brownies, cupcakes in multiple flavors -- chocolate, peanut butter and chocolate chip -- and specialty dog treats. Her next immediate goal, she said, is to start producing gluten-free and sugar-free options for both cookies and cupcakes when she "perfects the recipes."

She might bake "random specials" such as a cake pop one week, or cookie dough bites, but her primary focus is cookies and cupcakes, Flinn said.

Mo Mo's has a lot of requests for cakes, but Flinn has not yet perfected the needed recipes to where she feels comfortable executing.

"I'm not saying it's not in the ultimate plan, right this minute it will just be the cookies, cupcakes and no pies," she said.

Flinn is the only employee at the bakery, which she said is one of the main reasons why it is only open Thursday nights and Fridays.

"Now, this week will be slightly different with Homecomers," Flinn said. "I will also be open on Saturday."

Flinn said she anticipates being open during special events in Uptown Jackson, especially during Octoberfest and parades. She also plans on acquiring additional employees around the beginning of 2019.

"Ultimately, my business plan says that I do anticipate hiring more people and being open more," Flinn said. "As the demand grows I can expand my hours and hire people as needed."

Aside from being open only to the public Thursdays and Fridays, Flinn is still working nearly all week long behind-the-scenes.

"The rest of the time I'm doing custom orders. So, this week for instance, I have ten dozen custom sugar cookie orders, on top of everything that I'm doing," she said. "I pretty much will be here all the time."

Flinn said she was blown away with how many people attended the ribbon cutting on Friday and the support that has followed.

"I think I had 25 people, which I didn't expect at all. All day Friday, I think I had two short breaks, never ate lunch, just go, go, go ... But it was awesome," she said.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632