ST. GEORGE —You’ll melt when you see how sweet this mother-and-son business is, but that’s just how they roll.
“I really want to make the business a goal of mine,” Mahonri Fawson, the man behind Cinna-Roller, said. “To not only help others and make them feel the joy of food but to help other people accomplish their own dreams.”
Whether you are craving an ooey-gooey classic cinnamon roll with whipped frosting or ready to sample a new twist on the old classic, Cinna-Roller has you covered. Choose from real fruit flavors inside and out, or indulge in the triple chocolate roll made with chocolate dough, chocolate filling and topped with – you guessed it – chocolate frosting.
Oh my.
Fawson, 21, just returned from serving an LDS mission. He started the cinnamon roll business with his mom Paula Nelson when he was 16. Nelson is the master baker behind Cinna-Roller and said she received the original base recipe when she was 20 years old. She’s been tweaking and perfecting the recipe ever since, adding her own flair that’s made her cinnamon rolls famous.
When her son needed to raise $300 for Boy Scouts of America, he asked her to make her signature cinnamon rolls to sell. After bringing a sign-up list to church, he fulfilled the entirety of his fundraising within an hour.
“They just sold out, and I think that’s what kind of lit the fire for him,” Nelson said about the fundraiser. “He’s like, ‘Mom if I start a business, will you make cinnamon rolls for me?’”
Over the years, Nelson, who’s a full-time teacher at George Washington Academy, said she’s helped many individuals start their own businesses. She also owned her own licensed daycare and preschool in two different states.
Fawson made everything official by completing the necessary paperwork, registering the business with the state and calling the health department. Together, they began selling cinnamon rolls at the Downtown Farmers Market.
Originally offering a variety of goodies such as popcorn, caramel corn, cookies and specialty hot chocolate, Nelson said they found it easier to narrow it down to just one popular item – cinnamon rolls.
When they realized people wanted something a little different, she decided to try creating different cinnamon roll flavors. The way she creates the rolls allows her to create a variety of flavors and fillings without making the rolls soggy. The more flavors she did, the more fun she had.
“It’s hard for me to call them flavors because it’s real ingredients,” Nelson said. “I don’t use flavoring, I use real ingredients like the blueberry ‘flavor’ has real blueberry in it.”
When Nelson’s son left for Oregon to serve an LDS mission, she continued the business by selling her rolls at the downtown Modern Farm and Artisan Co-op. Profits from the rolls allowed her to send him funds while on his mission and provide funds upon his return.
“I teach full time, but I didn’t want his dream to die because this business was really his thing,” she said.
While on his mission, she sent him a mixer along with all the necessary ingredients, so he could make the family’s cinnamon rolls and share them with others.
“He has photographs of making rolls with people and then giving them away,” Nelson said. “They knew him as the ‘Cinna-man.’ It was really fun to see that take off.”
Now that Fawson is home from his mission, he said he has plans to obtain his CDL license, which will allow him to earn funds to open a brick-and-mortar bakery – one he hopes to turn into a franchise.
“Creating a franchise would allow me to support a family of my own as well as help others that have the same dreams I had when I was 16 – being able to open up something that is family owned and can support their families as well,” Fawson said.
To place an order with Cinna-Roller, call or text Mahonri Fawson at (435) 288-9283.
Shop a variety of Cinna-Roller treats inside the downtown Modern Farm and Artisan Co-op. Visit the Cinna-Roller website or find them on Facebook and Instagram.
“People here are just so willing to help you learn,” Nelson said. “That’s what I love about Utah and the people. It’s been a fun journey.”
Photo Gallery
Homemade smores dessert rolls from Cinna-Roller are shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mahonri Fawson, St. George News
A flavor of homemade dessert rolls from Cinna-Roller are shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mahonri Fawson, St. George News
Homemade pecan dessert rolls from Cinna-Roller are shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mahonri Fawson, St. George News
A flavor of homemade dessert rolls from Cinna-Roller are shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mahonri Fawson, St. George News
Homemade cookies and cream dessert rolls from Cinna-Roller are shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mahonri Fawson, St. George News
Homemade blueberry dessert rolls from Cinna-Roller are shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mahonri Fawson, St. George News
Homemade classic cinnamon rolls from Cinna-Roller are shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mahonri Fawson, St. George News
A flavor of homemade dessert rolls from Cinna-Roller are shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mahonri Fawson, St. George News
Various flavors of rolls from Cinna-Roller are shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mahonri Fawson, St. George News
Various flavors of rolls from Cinna-Roller are shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mahonri Fawson, St. George News
A flavor of homemade dessert rolls from Cinna-Roller are shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mahonri Fawson, St. George News
Homemade strawberry dessert rolls from Cinna-Roller are shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mahonri Fawson, St. George News
Garlic rolls from Cinna-Roller are shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Mahonri Fawson, St. George News
(Left to right) Paula Nelson, son Mahonri Fawson, and daughter Calista pose together for a photo, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Paula Nelson, St. George News
Paula Nelson stands inside the Cinna-Roller booth at a local market, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Paula Nelson, St. George News
Mahonri Fawson smiles for the camera, St. George, Utah, Jan. 12, 2023 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
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