Kouign-amann, kugelhopf and more
After gaining a long list of devoted customers at her Saturday morning pop-up inside One on One Bicycle Studio (117 Washington Av. N., Mpls., oneononebike.com), Black Walnut Bakery owner Sarah Botcher has widened her reach and gone wholesale.
Her first client? Quality-obsessed Spyhouse Coffee Roasting Co. (945 NE. Broadway, 2404 Hennepin Av. S., 2451 Nicollet Av. S. and 907 Washington Av. N., Mpls., spyhousecoffee.com).
"It's a good fit," said Botcher. "We produce pastries the way they produce coffee."
Look for her extraordinary croissants (plain, savory and chocolate), as well as scones, kouign-amann (a flaky butter cake), kugelhopf (a tender yeasted cake) and the double-chocolate cookie to end all double-chocolate cookies.
Her stellar foccacia is the bedrock of simple sandwiches. Oh, and tea cakes, dense, buttery loaves redolent of lemon, or black walnuts, that are cut into thick slices. They've replaced muffins on the Spyhouse menu, a radical coffeehouse move.
"I was a little nervous, because we've been selling muffins for 15 years," said Spyhouse owner Christian Johnson. "But they're better than muffins. And you don't have to deal with a wrapper."
For the legions of Black Walnut's pop-up fans, here's some more good news: Botcher hopes to start supplying the coffee counter at One on One, hopefully by Thanksgiving.
Closing notice
Chiang Mai Thai (3001 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., chiangmaithai.com) owner Charles Lodge announced Monday that he's closing his 17-year-old Calhoun Square restaurant on Dec. 23.