101-year-old Caledonia Bakery kneads into the community with delectable treats

Mar. 19—CALEDONIA, Minn. — Suzanne Roesler said there's a special treat about the Caledonia Bakery: "it's really a community place."

As the sixth owner in 101 years, Roesler loves seeing people come for their favorite Long Johns and visiting with community members. They soak in the sunshine gleaming through the shop's large windows and relax in the courtyard on the quiet Main Street. From coffee cakes to Friday pretzels and a new lemon cake recipe, Roesler shares the pride of her community in carrying on the bakery tradition in the town of 2,822 in Houston County.

People remark the bakery is an experience where they are transported to the atmosphere of a European bakery. Though, it's not a claim Roesler makes. She offers people an experience, something out of the normal. Like stepping into the Victorian era with an afternoon tea.

"It's something new and different but yet what's funny is it's something very traditional. I didn't invent the afternoon tea, I just decided to bring it to Caledonia through the bakery," Roesler said.

During an afternoon tea on Saturday, March 16, people agreed everything was their favorite, whether snacking on savory bites or choosing dessert first. They said all the treats created by the bakery team, including Roesler and baker Paul Tewes, are delightful. The tea setting connects Roesler to her love of history and her family history, including their mom's collection of teapots, Roesler and her sister Kathyrn Lamb said.

"I just always remember ... so many good memories of my mom and in the kitchen and baking and just those smells. And I just thought, 'That's a really happy place' and I wanted to continue the tradition in the town," Roesler said. "Just really good memories surrounding food and family and laughter and that's what I wanted to bring to the bakery."

While listing the variety of goodies baked in her shop, Roesler added "our customers love maple." She sees maple Long Johns, the maple pecan pastry and apple fritters roll quickly out of the case. The goal is to have each treat "as fresh as possible," whether jelly bismarks, glazed twists, blueberry muffins, pumpernickel bread, pecan pie or double chocolate chip cookies with espresso. The treats are baked each morning.

"I'm really proud of the fact that we have such an assortment because as I look around there are bakeries but not everybody does donuts anymore. So the fact that we still carry on the tradition of donuts in our town and in our bakery plus all the other things," Roesler said.

In the bake house, or kitchen, Tewes checks one of his creations in the oven where "he has been making everything from scratch for years," Roesler said. After 40 years at the bakery, Tewes remarked, "it's been a good adventure." But most importantly, "I love it. I wouldn't give it up," he said.

He kneads the dough into its crafted shape for buns and breads. He finds the temperature to keep the cakes moist. It's what he was meant to do: "work hard." Tewes said being raised in a farm family and serving in the Navy shaped his work ethic.

"(Breads and buns are) something you start from scratch and you end up with a nice product at the end," Tewes said. "It's sort of like it's my own child. I used to go and pick on some of the workers, they would be a little rough with it and say, 'Is that the way you'd handle your own children?' That's the way I look at it."

He's hoping to pass on the gentle, caring touch to the next generation to ensure the bakery's tradition continues. He's also enjoyed incorporating the traditions of owners such as Joe Hemmer and Annette Meyers. Earl Miller opened the bakery in 1923.

"I really am enjoying seeing the young people come into this business," Roesler said. "I knew that we needed to get some young people who enjoyed the bakery as much as we do. I mean let's face it, when you start your day at 2 a.m. you better enjoy it, and I do. I can't believe that I'm fortunate enough to have the bakery and I just love what I do."

The team, which includes four full-time and three part-time employees, works through the range of doughs and bakes pies, breads and cookies in the morning. Decorator Casey Scanlan, who joined the bakery five years ago, enjoys their donuts as well as scones and the raspberry filling in the tea cakes.

"When we open at 6 (a.m.) everything is frosted and glazed and anything else it needs and it's ready for the customers," Roesler said. The bakery is open from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 7 a.m. to noon Saturday.

She smiles at shared memories of the bakery, even if the note is that the treats don't have the right frosting.

"This town is really a great town and it has been great for the bakery," Roesler said. "We just enjoy having all the people come in, 'Oh, I remember when we used to get out of shop class and the teacher would let us come up and get Long Johns back in the 60s.'"

Roesler credits the community for rallying around the bakery, including when the building underwent a restoration to bring back its 1875 facade and treats were available at the Wired Rooster Coffee Shop. Although the bakery building is considered a non-contributing member to the

historic district on Main Street

due to previous renovations, Roesler loved discovering the outline of the original windows and following pictures from the early 1900s.

"The town is beautiful Main Street with a lot of old buildings and I wanted my building to compliment that," Roesler said. "I just felt that the beauty of that building was underneath all of it and I wanted to bring it out again. And I did it, with a lot of help."

While the revitalized buildings bring life to downtown, Lamb said they also offer people "second stories." She and her husband also have a downtown space where they refurbished the upper level.

"I just love seeing some of these buildings come back to life," said Allison Wagner, CEDA Houston County Economic Development Administration Director. "It's just so fun to see lots of visitors, lots of cars on Main Street and just all the creative things people are doing with their buildings."

At the bakery, Roesler brings the comforts of home, from her childhood memories of homemade chocolate chip cookies and fresh bread to her mom's pie crust recipe baked into every pie flavor shared with the community.

"When people come, whether it's a wedding or a funeral or a reunion, they always flock to the bakery because they have such good memories of the bakery," Roesler said. "There are generations of Caledonians that have either stayed here or moved away and come back ... that the bakery's just always been here. And I want to try to keep that as much as I can."