Willow Street Bakery turns out old-fashioned treats
Taste buds don't lie. When I sampled a doughnut (OK, I actually ate the whole doughnut) from Willow Street Bakery that a coworker brought in last week; it reminded me of the doughnuts from Stadium Bakery.
Turns out I wasn't too far off. Ron Buckas, the longtime proprietor of Stadium Bakery, started Willow Street Bakery in 1966 and the current co-owners, Mark and Jill Baldwin have been carrying on the tradition as a neighborhood bakery for more than 20 years.
A great doughnut is to a bakery what a great old-fashioned is to a supper club; it's necessary to earn the reputation as a worthy destination. Willow Street Bakery, a finalist in the 2014 and 2012 Best of the Bay Green Bay Press-Gazette Reader's Choice Awards, has all the crowd-pleasers for anyone looking to gain favor with coworkers, including raised glazed rings, Persians, filled Bismarcks (choose from raspberry, apple, blueberry, poppy seed, lemon or prune) and crullers.
The crullers have somewhat of a cult-like following.
"We always laugh, there's never a day when you can figure out which day they are coming. One day they're (crullers) all sold out the next day you have them all left, so we laugh," said Jill.
Although she can't predict which doughnut will be the biggest seller any given day, the filled long johns are usually in high demand, says Jill.
The doughnuts are the "other" signature item these days at Willow Street Bakery. Currently, the kneecaps (another hallmark of many supper clubs) are holding sway as one of the most popular pastry treats, says Jill.
As if to prove her point, a trio of customers entered the store during the interview on a quest for kneecaps, even taking pictures of them through the glass case.
"I'm telling you, if you have not had a kneecap, you have not lived," one woman says as they gathered up their treats before heading to Door County.
The kneecaps are a doughnut-like pastry dusted with powdered sugar surrounding a dollop of cream filling.
"Over the last few years they've really taken off," said Jill. "That's just an old Green Bay thing. They've been around a long time."
Another trending treat at the bakery is the USY slonias, a puffed pastry with cinnamon and nuts and buttercream icing. A salesman brought the treat to Mark's attention years ago and they started to gain popularity at the Green Bay farmers markets.
The Green Bay farmers markets — Willow Street Bakery finished its second year at the Wednesday night market and will wrap up its sixth year at the Saturday morning market at the end of the month — have been a great way to meet customers where they are as well as get in front of new customers, says Jill.
Back in the shop, the cream puffs — dubbed "Now That's A Cream Puff" by Jill — piled high with cream filling are attention-getters following a traditional recipe.
Sticking with the classics is an ongoing theme in the bakery, from the pastries to cakes and pies. A selection of cakes are available daily but can be ordered for birthdays, anniversaries and other occasions in varieties such as white, chocolate, German chocolate, lemon poppy seed torte and carrot. Likewise, fruit and cream pies are ready to go but can be ordered ahead of time, including pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving.
Belgian pies, with traditional fillings prune or cherry, are also part of the Baldwins' repertoire.
Mark began building his bakery skills in his parents' shop, Preble Bakery, back in the 1970s before being hired on at Willow Street Bakery. He and wife Jill bought the bakery in 1993 and continue to maintain the traditions of a from-scratch bakery while expanding their offerings, including canolis.
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Willow Street Bakery
Location: 1741 University Ave., Green Bay
Hours: 4:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 4:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday
Contact: (920) 435-1755, contact@willowstreetbakery.com
Online: willowstreetbakery.com, facebook.com/willowstbakery, Twitter @WillowStBakery