Bill Knofsky, co-owner and operator of Wholley Molley, has been a baker all of his adult life. His introduction came as a youth spending time at the doughnut shop where his mother worked. Shortly thereafter a neighbor, Hilma Gilbert, learned
of his interest and took him under her wing to teach him all she knew about baking. It wasn’t long after this, around the age of eight years old, that he decided that this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. He wanted to become a baker.

Bill eventually began working at this same doughnut shop, learning everything thing he could about the business. He continued working there up until the day he opened his own shop in 1986. But he soon grew restless with having just the retail business to look after, and began looking for other
opportunities. In 1987 he started selling his doughnuts to a variety of businesses around the Detroit area. By 2001, he had
become the largest wholesale doughnut business in southeastern Michigan, selling under the name Sugar Sweet Doughnuts. Unfortunately, both his retail and wholesale businesses suffered greatly in the weeks and months after the attacks on 9/11 and eventually was forced to close the doors on both.

Two years later, in 2003, Bill opened the Wholley Molley bake shop in Eastpointe, MI. While this new venture started out as a “one stop bake shop” providing his customers with a variety of items to choose from, he soon decided that this new business would provide him with the perfect opportunity to pay tribute to his former tutor, Hilma Gilbert.

Before going further it should be noted that what started as a teacher/student relationship, blossomed over the years into a friendship that lasted until her death in 1995. During those 30 years Hilma not only taught Bill all she knew about baking,
she also shared a few closely held secrets. Wholley Molley’s signature item, our "Sinfully Divine” Carrot Cake, was one of
those secrets and is based on a recipe that is over 75 years old.

Many times over the years Bill had promised Hilma that someday he would make her Carrot Cake famous. He was finally in a position to make that happen.

Miss Hilma’s “Sinfully Divine” Carrot Cake is now the featured item in our shop, and is also being sold in a variety of places around the Detroit area. In July of 2006 the packaging was updated, a line of other cakes was built around it, and a new
marketing effort was begun. Soon you will be able to find Wholley Molley “Sinfully Divine” cakes being sold not only in the Detroit area, but throughout the USA as well.

Bookmark our site for future updates on new locations.