LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The countdown to Mardi Gras is on, with Fat Tuesday just days away.
Plenty of bakeries in the Bluegrass are getting ready with king cakes, but this year the price of eggs could put a squeeze on the celebration.
Midway Bakery in Woodford County is known for its king cakes. They'll sell more than 100 of the desserts between Friday and Fat Tuesday.
"These are so good, we have people here who send these king cakes back to New Orleans because they stand up against a New Orleans king cake," said Mike Hilton, the marketing director at Holly Hill Restaurant Group. "I think that's pretty special."
While Mardis Gras may be a party, the cost of eggs is no reason to celebrate this year. Bakeries like Midway are now dealing with record prices for the kitchen.
But Hilton says they're not currently passing on the cost to the customer.
"We're just taking it in stride as operating costs and hoping it works itself out," he told LEX 18.
A bakery manager told us, before the pandemic, they paid about $30 for 15-dozen eggs. Today they're paying nearly $140 for the same amount.
That can add up when each king cake uses about half an egg.
The skyrocketing cost of eggs is being blamed on the bird flu, and experts say prices aren't expected to level out anytime soon.
For now, the bakery is focusing on the positive, and the delicious taste of each colorful dessert.
At Midway Bakery, a small king cake costs $12.50, and a large costs $25.
