'Tiniest Bakery in Town' Gets Big Funding on Kickstarter

Elizabeth Restaurant’s whiskey-glazed doughnuts, which will appear on Bunny the Micro Bakery’s menu. Photo: Elizabeth Restaurant/Facebook

What, precisely, is a micro bakery? Exactly what it sounds like, explains Michelin-starred Chicago chef Iliana Regan, who in the past few weeks has raised more than $30,000 through Kickstarter to fund the construction of her tiny, new project, Bunny the Micro Bakery. That’s an impressive $10,000 over her goal — and the fundraiser still has 11 days to go.

Bunny the Micro Bakery will live up its name: The galley-style space is a mere nine feet in width, and features but a dozen seats. It’s “perhaps the tiniest bakery in town,” its website proudly proclaims. The idea, Regan told Yahoo Food, is to make more widely available some specialty items from her fine dining spot, Elizabeth Restaurant, which has earned a reputation in the Windy City for turning foraged and local ingredients into artfully plated works of art. Ryan Sutton, writing for Bloomberg, called Elizabeth “America’s next great restaurant,” while Eater restaurant editor Bill Addison called Regan “a chef-savant unlike any other in the U.S.”

Regan poses with a haul of fresh mushrooms. Photo: Elizabeth Restaurant/Facebook

A peek at Bunny the Micro Bakery’s menu reveals sourdough bread, brioche toast, and soured nut-and-berry bread, all served with cultured butter and preserves. House-made cereal loops swathed in cashew milk are also in the mix, as are bone broth and mushroom tea. Heartier fare such as burgers, ramen, and pierogi will also be on offer, as will desserts including a daily soft-serve flavor and glazed doughnuts.

Both Bunny and Elizabeth are named for Regan’s late elder sister, who passed away after a stroke about a decade ago. “The bakery is something of an offshoot of Elizabeth — that’s why I chose her nickname,” Regan said. “I never called her ‘Elizabeth’ her entire life. She was born on Easter, and the nurses said to my mom, ‘Here’s your little bunny.’”

Bunny the Micro Bakery’s seeded rye bread. Photo: Bunny the Micro Bakery

At night, Bunny will be transformed into Wunder POP, a restaurant with a rotating cast of chefs. Regan intends the project to offer a stage to up-and-coming chefs on the Chicago culinary scene, as well as highlight new trends and ideas. Dates and times have yet to be announced, but the lineup already includes a ramen bar, bread-making workshop, and dumpling cafe.

Regan anticipates a mid- to late-May opening, and she’s running herself ragged to get there in time. “When I opened Elizabeth, I said, ‘There was no way I’m going to open another restaurant,’ but here I am,” she told us. “But I can’t help myself. I have a lot of creative energy, and this comes natural to me.”

Editor’s Note: Iliana Regan will be appearing March 29 at the Cherry Bombe Jubilee, a conference about women, food, and inspiration. Yahoo Food is a sponsor of Jubilee, so check back on Monday for conference coverage.

More Kickstarter-funded food projects:

The Searzall, which might be the best blowtorch of all time

Bread Head, a documentary about the link between diet and Alzheimer’s disease

A DIY sous vide machine that raised $20,000 in three hours

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