"We have been really busy, there's no question about it," says Sandi Younkin of Bars Bakery. She opened the small but stylish bakery in September but is already contending with strong demand. "We're working hard to keep product in the case," she says. "We've been trying to keep up with demand and not disappoint people when pickings are slim."
As the founder of Swede Hollow Cafe, Younkin spent eight years serving up sweets and sandwiches in St. Paul's Dayton's Bluff neighborhood before selling the restaurant in the early 2000s. Her canning prowess is on display at Tangletown Gardens in Minneapolis, where her pickled vegetables demonstrate how one can make tasty use of excess produce. But having never settled into one career after leaving the restaurant business behind, Younkin realized it was time to strike out on her own again.
She didn't have to look far for a business partner. Her daughter, Kara, had just graduated from the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs and wanted to embark upon a family-oriented venture. "The truth is I have a really bad oven at my house, and I had to open a bakery to bake!" Kara says. Together, mother and daughter developed a concept: a simple bakery, with good coffee and a small selection of packaged foods, including those Tangletown Gardens pickles.
The Younkins designed the bakery to be two-thirds kitchen and one-third takeout space, with room for three small tables inside the shop and three on the adjacent sidewalk when weather permits. Most of the business so far is take-away, though. Customers pick up a cup of Intelligentsia Coffee and grab a box of goodies to bring home or to work.
"I'd like to squeeze in more tables. I still want [the bakery] to be a place you'd gather, like in Europe," Sandi says. "So far, it's worked out that way. There's always a spot for someone to sit down."
When customers do sit down, the items on their plates are anything from one of the cinnamon or caramel rolls Sandi created at Swede Hollow, to a snickerdoodle or molasses cookie, to a roasted green pepper and speck scone. A self-taught baker, Sandi incorporates locally grown and seasonal ingredients -- such as Hope Creamery butter and Tangletown Gardens produce -- into most of her wares. Her savory tarts, a popular lunchtime purchase, feature meat and vegetable combinations such as potato, leek, speck and ricotta, or squash, sweet corn, broccoli, ricotta and goat cheese. And of course, there are those namesake bars: lemon bars, four varieties of brownies, congo bars, various kinds of shortbread, butter toffee blondies and maple nut bars, to start.
"We started with a base [of recipes], and we'll keep expanding. You want to create as you go and respond to what people want," Sandi says. "We want to have a fruit, nut and chocolate option every day."
"Everyone asks what our best seller is," Kara says. "But when you're out of everything at the end of the day..."
The churn
Learn the secrets of preparing duck, venison and more this Sunday at Fabulous Catering (2900 13th Av. S., Mpls.). The Minnesota History Center is presenting a seminar on wild game featuring chef Brian Crouch and La Belle Vie chef de cuisine Mike DeCamp. (3-5 p.m. Sun. $15-$20. 651-259-3015 or www.minnesotahistorycenter.org.)
