Olde World - Greater Green Bay Chamber

July 13, 2015
titletown.org
Member spotlight: Olde World Pastries Plus
Sweet tradition
keeps bakery
a local favorite
By Allison Barnes
Standing in the kitchen and watching
the passion Glenda Blazek puts behind all the
deliciousness she creates makes it easy to understand how Olde World Pastries Plus in Green
Bay has been baking up smiles and great treats
since 2009.
Together with her husband David, Blazek
creates delicious pastries and deserts gleaned
from her family heritage and modern creations.
They decided to open the bakery after perfecting
their well-known pastry, the Danish Kringle.
“I belong to a Danish church, and I got this
recipe from a lady at our church who said ‘If you
can handle the dough, it will be the best Kringle
you will ever make’ and she was right and our
customers agree,” explained Blazek. It took her
years of playing around with the dough recipe in
order to get it just right so that the Kringles look
the same way every time. Their Kringle dough is
made completely from scratch and they offer 46
flavors throughout the year including seasonal ingredients like Door County cherry and pumpkin.
Blazek bakes with a European approach of
using simple ingredients, a balance of flavor and
staying true to how the deserts have always been
made. David is half Danish and half Czech while
Glenda is German. “Kolaches, for example, is a
Czech pastry, so we grind our own poppy seed
and we make our own filling because that’s what
Czechs did,” said Blazek. “Same thing with the
Kringle Danish,” she added. “This is a traditional
butter pastry. There is no shortening and there is
no margarine. It’s just a couple simple ingredients and it’s all about balance.”
Blazek learned to bake from her parents, and
as the oldest of ten children, she began to do the
cooking and baking for the family at age 16 when
her mom started working outside of the home. The
family liked to bake together and growing up on
a farm made her appreciate making recipes from
scratch even more. “I still make some of my mom’s
recipes,” said Blazek. “Like for our Christmas
cookies, I use an old German sour cream recipe,
and that’s what I use for our Christmas cut outs.”
Inspiration for her baked creations comes
from more than family however. Blazek pulls
ideas from customer’s recommendations and
websites like YouTube and Pinterest. Her past
bartender experience has also provided some
recipes. She makes a variety of cakes and cupcakes that she calls “boozed up” because each includes alcohol. Popular cupcakes she makes include the Irish Car Bomb, which is Guinness and
chocolate with a whiskey ganache and Bailey's
buttercream and Strawberry Margarita, which is
lime and strawberry with a tequila glaze.
Baking is a consistent process of mixing,
baking and preparing for the next day, which
is especially important for making Kringles
because of the large amount of butter. If the butter softens too quickly, the Kringles won’t be
consistently the same size.
There’s a lot of love behind everything
Blazek creates. She said that coming to the bakery is a fond memory everyone seems to have
because everyone is excited for special deserts.
It’s “anticipation like children” she said. Customers also feel like its Thanksgiving or Christ-
Glenda Blazek busy in her kitchen at Olde World Pastries Plus
(Photo submitted by Jennifer Walters)
mas because the smell of the bakery reminds
them of home. “We have a lot of really loyal,
local customers. I like to hear their stories and
I like to learn about people, and how they grew
up and why they do things they do because that’s
why I do things that I do,” she said. “The best
part is getting to be a part of their family by making a wedding cake or cupcakes or Kringle for a
brunch,” Blazek added. “I really do love to bake
and I love trying new recipes.”
Final thoughts:
•
Blazek gets emotional when speaking
of her customers and her appreciation for them.
“All of the customers are like friends and they
were there when we started. I’ve done wedding
cakes for customers, and then they’ve come back
and had a gender reveal cake for their child, and
come back for a baptism cake.”
•
Olde World Pastries Plus also receives
a lot of customers from throughout the Midwest
and even mails frozen dough to a client in Dallas, Texas.
•
Olde World Pastries Plus’s products
can also be found at the Green Bay Farmer’s
Market on both Wednesday’s and Saturday’s, the
Appleton Farmer’s Market, Olsen’s Piggly Wiggly on Lineville Road, and Austin’s on Webster.
Take and bake dough is also available.
This page, and the information contained within, is brought to you and sponsored by the Greater Green Bay Chamber, 920.593.3400.
July 13, 2015
titletown.org
NOMINATE TODAY!
Don't miss this opportunity to recognize a deserving business
or individual for one of these prestigious awards.
This is your opportunity to shine a light on a Chamber member business or
yourself! The nomination period is now open for the 29th Annual Excellence in
Business Award, established to recognize a business that has excelled in efforts
and achievements in its two most recent fiscal years.
29 th Annual
in
Business
A
W
A
R
General nomination criteria include having 100+ employees; being a for-profit
business located in Northeast Wisconsin; being a member of the Greater Green Bay
Chamber; ability to show business growth for 2013-2015; showcasing a response to
business success, community involvement and innovation in business practices.
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The award recipient will be announced as part of the awards ceremony at the
Chamber’s annual dinner on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015.
N O M I N A T E B Y F R I D A Y, A U G . 1 4
|
F O R M AVA I L A B L E A T T I T L E T O W N . O R G / E I B
Each year, the ATHENA Award honors an individual who has demonstrated
outstanding commitment and excellence in their profession and the advancement of
women. The award is just one way ATHENA International, a nonprofit organization,
seeking to support, develop and honor women leaders, fulfills its mission.
If you know someone who fits this mold, please consider nominating him or her
for the 2015 ATHENA Award.
The award recipient will be honored as part of the
awards ceremony at the Chamber’s annual dinner
on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2015.
2015
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F O R M AVA I L A B L E A T T I T L E T O W N . O R G / A T H E N A
Nominations are welcome for the 16th annual Manufacturing Awards of
Distinction. Show your support for this important sector of our economy by
nominating a peer, vendor, client or even yourself!
Awards available for small, medium and large business, as well as Judge’s
Choice Award for Workforce Development.
Nomination forms, eligibility details and more
available at www.titletown.org/MAOD.
The award recipients will be honored at the
Manufacturing Awards of Distinction event
on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015.
N O M I N A T E B Y F R I D A Y, A U G . 2 1
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Presented by:
F O R M AVA I L A B L E A T T I T L E T O W N . O R G / M A O D
This page, and the information contained within, is brought to you and sponsored by the Greater Green Bay Chamber, 920.593.3400.