Cookie Dough Business Tastes Yummy for Mississippi College Graduate

MC graduate Ayanna Bloom

Chocolate chip cookie dough is pretty popular these days. It ranks up there with strawberry shortcake as the favorites for Mississippi customers at the Street Dough business.

The company’s owner, Ayanna Bloom, is inviting Mississippi College students to indulge and nibble on her free samples.

Call it a sweet one-time special that shouldn’t be missed on the Clinton campus.

Tables were set up for students to scoop a cup of cookie dough between classes Thursday.

A 2016 MC communication graduate, Bloom believes her Street Dough products will satisfy lots of taste buds at her alma mater.

At the same time, Ayanna wants to do something nice and let her Flowood-based business serve Mississippi College.

“MC seemed like the perfect place to give back to because I gained so much during my time at the school and it has a special place in my heart.”

The dough at her small business in Rankin County comes in six flavors and is made by hand. She uses heat treated flour and no eggs to make it safe to consume. Her business opened in July and it is attracting plenty of customers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bloom enjoyed working as the communications coordinator for the Mississippi Hospital Association. But her love for baking and sweets led her to step down in pursuit of an entrepreneurship dream.

Thanks to frequent posts on Instagram (@streetdoughms) and Facebook (Street Dough MS), her business is sizzling this summer.

There’s nothing wrong with seeing the business grow even more with its debut on the Mississippi College campus.

“Since this business is still small, I figured giving away free dough is perfect,” says the 26-year-old Mississippian.

Bloom coordinated her Mississippi College visit with the Campus Activities Board. She’s predicting the spread of good cheer and sweet cookie dough will be much appreciated just days after MC students returned for fall classes. She dropped off the cookie dough Thursday morning and students can take it from there.

Communication Department Chair Reid Vance commends the MC graduate for her business smarts. “Even as a student, Ayanna had an entrepreneurial spirit,” he said. “She was aggressive in learning new communication and media skills that she knew would benefit her professional life after college.”

Vance joins Communication Department colleagues proud that Ayanna has become a successful businesswoman.

Besides showcasing her new business, Ayanna Bloom is thrilled to return to the Clinton campus. “What I love about MC is the people. Much like the customers I’ve had so far, the people at MC are friendly and helpful. I was sold the first day of my campus tour because of how welcoming everybody was,” she said. “MC has a way of making you feel right at home.”

Once considering an investment in the cupcake business, Ayanna discovered the market in metro Jackson is oversaturated. That led the Magnolia, Mississippi native to go for cookie dough. “I wanted to bring something new and fun to the area.”

After a month, the response has been fabulous. “Our customers throughout Rankin, Madison and Hinds counties have been really supportive of our growth,” Ayanna Bloom said. “It’s really humbling.”