Business is rising: Helena's bakeries thriving

By John Harrington - 11/15/2008

Eliza Wiley / Helena Independent Record Terri Corrigan pulls several fresh loaves from the oven at Park Avenue Bakery in Helena.

HELENA —The sweet smell of success — and cinnamon rolls, eclairs and other sugary delights — is wafting from several businesses around town.

The economy may be down, but Helenans apparently still have enough discretionary income to spend a little on sweet indulgences. That's the word from several folks in the bakery industry, who report rising business and high expectations.

In the small strip shopping center across from Kmart on Cedar Street, Stephanie Ransier recently took over Betty Anna's Cake and Candy Supplies, which had been run by her sister-in-law and mother-in-law, and promptly renamed it (yes, Stephanie's Cake and Candy Supplies) and doubled the size of the retail floor.

"We needed more space," said Ransier, who decorated cakes for several years at Albertsons before taking over the baking supply business. "I want to do some classes, we're going to do some demonstrations, and we're offering a lot of new stuff." Ransier sells some products to other bakeries in town, but most of her business comes from citizens who like to bake, or who want to take a shot at crafting their own wedding cakes or holiday candies or other tasty treats.

She's on top of all the trends: fondant versus butter-cream icing, edible glitters, air-brush colors, flavored oils and the move toward simple, elegant cake designs.

"There are a whole bunch of people out there who are really interested in decorating cakes," she said. "I just started a ‘brag board' so people can bring in pictures and show off what they've made." Meanwhile, a pair of women are preparing to open the doors this week in the city's Rodney Street neighborhood.

The Vanilla Bean Bakery and Cafe, the dream of Amber Tangen and Melissa Hiltunen, both former employees of Park Avenue Bakery, is days away from opening in the former home of Uncle Pete's Pawn Shop as that neighborhood continues to turn over.

Baking is the women's passion, though they're adding coffee and sandwiches to the menu to take advantage of the courthouse employees and large number of professional offices in the area.

In some ways, the location helped define the business.

"(The location) was out of the mainstream, but close to the mainstream," Hiltunen said, noting that the rent was more affordable than other possible locations closer to See RISING, Page D3 downtown. "At first we were thinking just cakes, but then we realized there were so many offices around, maybe we should offer lunch too." Tangen said the evolving neighborhood can support a new bakery.

"It's up-and-coming, it's cleaning up and we just like the people around here," she said. "Lots of young couples with families." The bakery features an open kitchen so customers can watch the breads, cakes, pies and pastries being prepared.

The women say they're not too concerned about opening a bakery at a time when the economic headlines are dour. Convenience still matters to busy folks, they said.

"And people always eat for comfort," Tangen said.

Existing bakeries aren't resting on their wheat sacks. At Park Avenue Bakery, baker Terri Corrigan, a 30-year veteran of the trade, recently attended a five-day artisan bread class at the San Francisco Baking Institute. She came back with a fistful of new recipes and techniques for artisan breads, sourdoughs, whole grains and holiday offerings that she's gradually working into the bakery's weekly rotation.

Montana wheat makes her job a pleasure, she said.

"We live in the best place to make bread that you could ever live in," she said. "You can drive by what you're going to eat." Co-owner Renee Kowalski said the business is fairly equally divided between wholesale, breads, pastries, breakfast and lunch.

Business has been decent, she said, despite lean economic times, though she said managers are vigilant at watching expenses.

"Our sales have been good," she said. "October is our slowest month, and this October was up over last October." The bakery is also making strides toward using more local ingredients, the a strikingly unique example of which might be taking spent grain and wort from the Blackfoot River Brewing Company up the street and using them in weekly batches of specialty bread.

But beyond that, chef Sarah Boyer is combing the region for food products made close to home.

"I'm researching and contacting regional companies that produce products that complement our breads and desserts," she said. For example, "There are some fantastic cheeses in the Rocky Mountain region." ————— To see more of the Independent Record, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.helenair.com.

(c) 2008, Independent Record, Helena, Mont.

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