Olde Tyme Pastries is on a quest to become the country’s sweetest bakery, and the longtime Turlock business is asking for the community’s help.

The sweet shop opened its doors in Turlock over 35 years ago, and since then has offered a delicious menu of treats that often resonate with the city, such as their popular Kaepernick cookies during the Turlock native’s playoff runs, “deflated” cookies in light of cheating allegations against the New England Patriots and cookies picturing presidential candidates sold around election time.

But, even though Olde Tyme is known for these novel cookies and best-sellers like their pineapple cream cheese coffee cake, it’s not the shop’s desserts that make it the sweetest bakery in America, said employee Terri Coonce, but the customers.

“We have a huge clientele of repeat customers, and we’re even serving fourth generations. We’ve done cakes for the grandkids and great grandkids of people we were doing cakes for almost 40 years ago,” said Coonce. “If we win this, it would really be a ‘thank you’ to our customers.”

The Sweetest Bakery in America Contest is hosted by Dawn Foods and its winner will receive not only bragging rights, but a huge party at their location. There are hundreds of bakeries in the running, said Coonce, and to win would reinforce the hard work Olde Tyme’s bakers put into their craft.

“It would just mean that we are really doing what customers want, and that we’re being noticed, everything we’re doing isn’t in vain,” she said.

Olde Tyme is no stranger to contests, having won several best bakery contests. The bakery is always looking for ways to improve, however, and by doing things like adding new items and bringing back retro customer favorites, Olde Tyme has seen a recent increase in customers.

“There’s a lot of new growth and things around Turlock. It’s been a good year,” said Coonce. “We’re trying to listen to what the customers want and do as much as we can to make them happy.”

Fans of Olde Tyme can vote for the business as America’s sweetest bakery either online or by filling out a ballot in the shop. Those who vote online by visiting www.sweetestbakeryinamerica.com can vote once per day until July 31, and ballots will be available at Olde Tyme until that date.

“It would be nice to win and put Turlock on the map again,” said Coonce.