Discover the charm of our local hidden gem bakeries

By Carol Stiffler

The area is home to a variety of small, local bakeries that offer a range of baked goods, from sourdough bread to gourmet brownies. These bakeries are often located in rural areas and offer a unique, off-the-grid experience for customers. Many of the bakers use locally sourced ingredients, such as wild blueberries and homemade maple syrup, and offer seasonal menus that reflect what is in stock. We met with six local bakers who are working from home, baking up sweet and delicious items each weekly for us to enjoy.

Red Shed Bakeshop
A backwoods bakeshop

The Red Shed Bakery is an off-the-grid micro bakery “in the middle of nowhere” northern Luce County that has hosted surprised customers from all over the country.

Owner Tammy Bucinski, who spent 15 years in the catering business, bakes for three or four days a week and sells her baked goods weekly from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Her bakery is located near Pike Lake on County Road 414 (west of County Road 500).

Bucinski bakes from scratch; “It’s how I was raised,” she said. She sources as much as she can from nearby, like picking wild blueberries and getting homemade maple syrup from a neighbor.
“My theory about food has been ‘elevate everything to the most decadent delicious level it can be,’” she said.

Her specialties include cinnamon rolls, sourdough bread, and gourmet brownies. Sourdough loaves are $8 for plan; $10 for bread with add-ins like jalapeno and cheddar.

Bucinski doesn’t take special orders and sells everything on a first-come, first-served basis. She listens to her customers and modifies her menu based on their hopes and her own inspiration.
“It’s been crazy busy this summer and all I could do to keep the shed full, so no time for any extras,” she said.

Visit her website at www.redshedbakeshop.com.

Blue House Bakes
Newberry

Theresa Swanson operates Blue House Bakes, a pop-up cottage bakery specializing in sourdough creations. She launched her business in January of this year, but has been passionate about baking since she was young. She is a self-taught baker.

Blue House Bakes offers a variety of sourdough products from original artisan loaves to sourdough chocolate chip cookies. The menu is ever-changing, Swanson said, and reflects what is in season.

“While all of our items seem to be popular, our best seller would be our danishes,” she said. “No matter the flavor that is offered, they do not last!” Swanson hand-laminates the dough to create flaky layers, then tops it off with in-season fruit and icing.

Items on her menu range from $3 to $14.

Swanson doesn’t have regular store hours, but announces her Friday pop-ups on the shop’s Facebook page, Blue House Bakes. You can also reach her at bluehousebakes906@gmail.com.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571568583339

Lanie’s Cakes & Bakes
McMillan

Lanie Plesscher is a 16-year-old baker who bakes from her family’s McMillan home. Though she’s still young, her love for baking is almost as old as she is.

“Her love for baking started at a very young age,” said her mother, Amanda Plesscher. “She loved learning and trying new things. At age 11, during the pandemic, she entered an online cake contest and won!”

Lanie has been selling baked goods since about age 13, placing them on the checkout counter at Plesscher Greenhouse, her grandparents’ business. Her goods sold well and brought in great feedback.

“Lanie does a variety of baked goods such as cakes, cupcakes, cheesecake, cookies,” Amanda said. “She is mostly known for her cookies. Her best sellers are her Snickerdoodles, NY cheesecake, carrot cake, and caramel apple cookies all with delicious cream cheese frosting.”

During the school year, Lanie is not baking for the greenhouse, but still takes special orders. Customers can place an order by messaging her through her business Facebook page, called Lanie’s Cakes & Bakes.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567532972047

Triple J’s Home Bakery
Eckerman

Jamie Johnson began baking with her grandma when she was just 3 years old, and she’s been hooked on it since.

“She taught me so much,” Jamie said. “From then on I wanted to open my own bakery.”

Jamie is a trained professional pastry chef and opened Triple J’s Home Bakery in 2020, when she was just 19.

In 2022, she expanded her business by adding Triple J’s Roadside Stand at 29744 W M28 in Eckerman. Her roadside store is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, from May through September. Triple J’s Roadside Stand routinely sells out, and Jamie advises customers to get there early for the best selection.

She takes custom orders and fills those during the week. Jamie said she specializes in cakes, cinnamon rolls, sugar cookies, pain au chocolat, croissants, and a variety of cookies. Her items are priced from $3 to $6 at the roadside stand; cakes and sugar cookies vary based on complexity.

“The best-selling item at the roadside stand are cinnamon rolls and the croissants (filled and pain au chocolat),” she said. “I really couldn’t pick a favorite pastry to make! They are all my favorite.”

Follow her at https://www.facebook.com/triplejshomebakery for updates.

Florence Fresh
McMillan

Tucked on the southwest side of East Lake in McMillan, Florence Fresh is a self-serve bakery stand. Stay-at-home mom Nicole Setcoski stocks the stand with sourdough creations including breads, bagels, and scones. She also sells fresh eggs, smoked cheese, herbal remedies, everything seasoning, and more.

“I am passionate about creating food from scratch using pantry staples and ingredients grown and harvested right on our homestead,” Nicole said. “I smoke my own cheese and pick herbs and spices straight from the farm, giving each loaf a truly local touch.”

Nicole’s best-selling items include a classic sourdough loaf for $9, bagels for $2 each, and scones that are $3 each. Her menu changes weekly and is announced on her stand’s Facebook page, 6927 Farmstand on Florence (Florence Fresh).

Nicole’s first job was at an Italian restaurant, and she eventually worked all positions in the place. The kitchen was her favorite, and she became a self-taught culinaire.

“What began as a personal passion turned into something bigger when the community’s response to the sourdough creations took me by surprise,” she said. She’s developed a life she loves – foraging, baking, being a mom, and exercising her creativity.

Customers who follow Nicole’s Facebook announcements can stop by the farmstand to pick up fresh bakes. Nicole also welcomes calls or texts at 903-707-3356.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/426116880317010

Sugar Heaven
Newberry

Sarah Sumbera started selling baked goods to her stepfather’s co-workers when she was just 10 or 11 years old. Her stepfather introduced her to baking and let her help.

“We made muffins together and I knew then and there, this is for me,” she said. “This is what I love, and I’ve been baking ever since.”

She had a long-range goal of opening a bakery, and even tried baking briefly before she moved to the U.P. After landing in Newberry, she began baking up a storm, quietly perfecting recipes and sharing the results with friends.

Her 2024 New Year’s resolution was to “read more books and practice new recipes”. One book had a chapter that addressed procrastination, and that hit her with a jolt.

“I decided I’m starting Sugar Heaven, immediately,” she said. “Unprepared, unequipped, untrained, I’m just gonna stop procrastinating and do it, sink or swim.”

She launched Sugar Heaven out of her home on West John Street in Newberry, thinking she’d just have a pop-up shop and sell at the Newberry Farmer’s Market. Demand for her baked goods exceeded supply, and her pop-up became a full-time job.

Sarah said her stuffed cookies are her best sellers. She also offers sourdough bread, cupcakes, homemade pop tarts, and has an ever-changing menu. She also takes orders for events, building cakes and towering cookie displays upon request.

Follow Sugar Heaven on Facebook for weekly menu announcements. Pop-up bakery events are usually on Fridays, starting at 11 a.m. and ending when she sells out.

https://www.facebook.com/SugarHeavenUP