Longmont has become a true tasters’ destination. From Skeye Brewery to Anvil Distillery to St. Vrain Cidery, artful, award-winning adult beverages are plentiful. They are so popular that Longmont’s Brewhop Trolley transports locals and tourists between spots, like RTD with cocktail service. And even more tasting rooms are about to open.
However, spending hours tasting one beer or rum after another is not fun for everyone. The Brewhop Trolley does offer brunch and dinner tours, but shouldn’t there be a Bakery Bus conveying folks from bakery to bakery leaving buttery flakes in its wake?
That’s my question after taking an impromptu tour of Longmont bakeries. I was just going to visit one for tax-deductible “research,” but while I was in the neighborhood I thought I’d go to another bakery. I rolled from there.
Some of the city’s grocery store bakeries are quite good, but local, independent bakeries provide tastes, value and aroma-therapy unavailable elsewhere. I like the bakers and supporting sustainable carb-centric businesses, and I love going home with bags of yum.Â
So just imagine: “Next stop: Bacon-stuffed cinnamon rolls!”
Until then, devotees must follow their own bliss. Here are some suggested sweet and savory destinations:
La Momo Maes
Cathy Fiegenschuh and her daughters have built a devoted following for the festive cakes they bake in a small house on Kimbark Street. They only have room to offer a limited selection of takeout cupcakes and cookies. The recent opening of the second La Momo Maes in the former Romana Bake House changes everything. The new place has seating, coffee and counters full of banana cream pies, eclairs, kuchen, macaroons and turnovers. The coolest attractions are the cake bars: fully frosted, ready-to-lick slabs in a dozen flavors, including Death by Chocolate.
624 Kimbark St. and 900 S. Hover St.,
longmontbakery.com.
Othermama’s Bakery
Another new addition is Othermama’s Bakery, opened by mother-daughter team Brenda Lehenbauer and Stacey Courtney in a cute converted cottage. Using batter-splattered recipes passed down through several generations, they make batches of classic cakes, elephant ears, chocolate cream hand pies, caramel cinnamon rolls, pecan Danishes and mini coffee cakes. Homestyle yeasted loaves range from honey buttermilk to cheese jalapeno, plus a true rarity: English muffins. 237 Collyer St., othermamasbakery.com.
Marketplace Bakery
If you’ve eaten a sandwich or toast at a Longmont restaurant in the last decade, chances are you sampled the breads from this under-the-radar bakery owned by Kathy Rosser and Susan Bright. They do sell their hand-shaped loaves and buns to the public at a cramped counter mere feet from the baking area. Besides the popular sourdough, the specialty bread lineup includes cinnamon raisin, green chile boule and pumpernickel brat rolls. Don’t miss Cinnamon Roll Thursday for giant, heavily glazed rolls. 1515 Main St.
Old Fashioned Bavarian Bakery
Longmont’s most widely known destination was opened in 1987 by European-trained baker (and engineer) Michael Vyskocil. Loaves of his certified organic and kosher breads including my toast of choice, Bavarian farmer’s rye, are available in local grocery stores. Do stop by the bakery to contemplate counters full of rolls, strudels, bear claws, rugelah, custard-filled eclairs and serious cakes including sacher torte. The same space includes Old World Pizzeria featuring wood-fired pies with a nicely chewy crust. 613 Frontage Road.
Panaderia Guanajuato
Choosing is the main challenge at this cramped, help-yourself Mexican bakery. With tray and tongs in hand facing a wall of classic goodies, you must prioritize between multi-colored cookies, sugar-coated orejas, pineapple-filled empanadas and cream-centered pastries. What about the doughnuts and conchas, the lightly sweet breads served with coffee, and bolillos for sandwiches? The bakery also sells takeout fare starring menudo, tamales and barbacoa on weekends. 1630 Main St.
Aime’s Love
The name is pronounced “Em-ayz luv” and co-owners Jennifer Walter and Morgan Elizabeth Dalton oversee a welcoming breakfast and lunch café and dedicated gluten-free bakery. That’s hard to find for those with dietary restrictions. Others won’t taste anything missing in the cookie department with macaroons, black and whites, peanut butter and gingerbread cookies with maple frosting. Other treats include tart lemon bars, pistachio muffins and chocolate-dipped bacon. The gluten-free bread roster includes sandwich loaf, focaccia, cinnamon raisin bread and Hawaiian sweet rolls. 331 Main St., aimeslove.com.
Double-crusted and
bacon-stuffed
My mythical Bakery Bus would also stop at some non-bakeries. I’d pull over for: lemon meringue, double-crusted rhubarb or pumpkin pie at the Loaf and Ladle (1134 Francis St.); corn
and flour tortillas (and occasionally doughnuts) at Las Americas Tortilleria
(830 Lashley St.); sugar-dusted beignets at Lucile’s Creole Cafe (518 Kimbark St.); honey wheat bread at Great Harvest Bread Co. (1100 Ken Pratt Blvd.); and bacon-stuffed cinnamon rolls at the Good Eats Grill (1114 Francis St.).
Colorado’s most-
Googled pie?
According to Google, apple pie was the top-searched pie last year in 16 states and Washington D.C. In the South, it was sweet potato pie, but chess pie rules in Tennessee. Colorado’s most-Googled pie is pumpkin. Why pumpkin pie? I mean, the recipe is on the can and most of us only eat it once a year. Colorado does have a pumpkin pie legacy. At one time Colorado produced tons of pie pumpkins that were canned in Longmont. In 1908, more than 10,000 pies were served in Longmont during that year’s Pumpkin Pie Days.
Local food news
The Roost, Samples, Caprese Trattoria, Sugarbeet and Rosalee’s Pizza are among 30 restaurants offering $18.71 multi-course menus April 20 to 29 during Longmont Restaurant Week. longmontrestaurantweek.com. … Mon Cheri Bakery and Bistro is open at 211 N. Public Road in Lafayette serving chicken Marsala, chocolate chip cookies and French toast topped with melted cheddar and maple syrup. … The Boulder County Farmers Market in Longmont opens for the season April 7. … Coming soon to Longmont: Dry Land Distillers, 471 Main St.; the space-themed Outworld Brewing, 1725 Vista View Dr.; and Primitive Brewing, 2025 Ionosphere St.
Words to chew on
“I have always highly esteemed the brave and humble workers who labor all night to produce those soft and crusty little loaves that look more like cake than bread.” — Alexander Dumas, 1870
John Lehndorff is a former baked goods judge at the Boulder County Fair Comments: [email protected].
