MGB Bakery + Sandwich Shop Coming Soon!

"I can't shake this idea, Michael" I said. Before I went home that night, I stopped at Caravan Wine Shop (again... I basically give them all the credit for this idea - ha!). They were promoting a black manhattan recipe that afternoon, and if you know me, I like manhattans. This one had a spin on it (recipe below) and so I stopped there to pick up the Amaro. I went home, made the cocktail for my husband and I, and we sat around the fire with the dogs. And then I said.... "Here me out, Michael. Just what.... if......." 

For those that have been following, you know ALL about our plans to expand into Central City Market (Madison St. Stevens Point), which is still on the agenda! That additional kitchen will give us the opportunity to focus on our community and the wholesale customers we want to collaborate with. While that (rather large) building is being renovated, I just honestly CANNOT wait, and NEED ya'll to enjoy our sandwiches we've been working on behind the scenes for the past few months.

SO  >>>  that means we are going to (in addition to our kitchen at Central City Market) expand into the kitchen space next to the current bakery location! Emy J's will continue serving their coffee, smoothies, etc. and we will take care of lunch & the sweet treats! Give us a few months to do some renovating, and don't mind the plastic we will have up while we are working on a new look for the kitchen & seating area! My husband has been working non-stop on this perfect little menu and how the lighting needs to look  (he's a lighting guy..)

That "what if " idea turned into a reality real quick. The next morning, I saw Guy (the best landlord who has been the sweetest and most supportive since we've started) drinking a cup of coffee by the window. I walked over there a little nervous, and just said... "I have an idea I can't shake.. don't get too excited, but can we talk" 

Once I get an idea, I just start planning. This can be a great thing.... and also like...what am I doing thing... and if my planning gets far enough, then things start to become real, and soon we've got ourselves an almost finalized menu, paint colors, and a cute soap dispenser - It's the little things.

Let's be real - I can't give you ALL the details, but this is a start, and I'm telling ya' - I haven't felt more alive. Let's have lunch, shall we? Eeeeee! 

Cheers to 2022 - good sandwiches on good bread with good champagne. Always more champagne.

“We Knead To Talk”

"The work of anti-racism is becoming a better human to other humans" - Austin Channing Brown

Our team at MGB has been talking.

We've been thinking, growing, and learning. We will continue to keep pushing ourselves, keep listening, & keep discussing.

We are starting a podcast group -'We Knead To Talk'

This will have nothing to do with baking.. or dough.. or kneading dough, but since we are all bakers, getting together to discuss racial justice on a bi-weekly basis, the name seemed fitting.

Together, we will listen. We will pause & discuss. Change starts with us.

We've got a long list of podcasts we will cover. As I was putting together our 'We Knead to Talk' outline in google drive, our friends over at@SirenShrubCosent out an email highlighting Brené Brown's podcast "Unlocking Us" with Ibram X. Kendi "How to Be an Antiracist." SO - that's first on the list! Join us!

We will be starting next week, publicly sharing our progress, which podcasts we will be listening to, and sharing parts of our conversations with you all via our newsletters & website. We would love for YOU to follow along.

I got home yesterday afternoon, turned on another podcast by Brené Brown - with Austin Channing Brown, author of "I'm Still Here : Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness". I turned my phone all the way up, put it in my back pocket, and listened while cleaning my house. I found myself pausing on what I was doing, or pacing, or just sitting down to reallllly listen & hear the words they were saying - That's how powerful it was.

--We are excited to continue sharing.

Best,

Sarah Jo

I've got answers

You asked questions and let me tell you -- I have the answers. 

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Q: I would love to know if any of your products are made with enriched flour?

A: Hi Lisa - Thanks for your question! We have quite a few flour varieties in the bakery!
The bulk of our flour comes from King Arthur - - Sir Galahad flour, which is enriched.
Basically, when you strip away the bran & the germ of the wheat berry, you are left with the endosperm,
which is used in all white flours. The endosperm doesn’t contain many nutrients, which is why they throw in a
few added nutrients. When King Arthur ‘enriches’ this variety of flour, these are the added nutrients :
niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, & folic acid. Their flour is never bleached or bromated
(which is an added chemical most put in to speed up the milling process). King Arthur is the most
consistent with their flour, which is what matters most to professional bakers. King Arthur Flour ensures
that our products adhere to the tightest tolerances in the milling industry. We also use a variety of whole grain flours
grown & milled right in Wisconsin! Here’s a link to our newsletter a few months back regarding Meuer Farms!

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Q: What is the most number of people working in your space at one time?

A: As I type this, I’m counting 6. Sometimes we have 7, but that’s impractical because you can’t
be the most efficient when you have 1” of tablespace to make cookies on… Yep, it’s a tight space, but we
make the most out of it, coming up with new strategies to make the best use of our time. Even though we close at 2,
we are still here until 6p to prep everything for the following day. We need that afternoon of calm to
really get all the little things done. Thanks for your question, Becky!

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Q: Do the bakers have different shifts?

A: Yep! Someone starts at 4A to get the ovens fired up and start weighing out all the sourdoughs!
Then there’s that 5A pastry shift to start the bread mixes for the next day, as well as bake off all the sweets
& set up the counter! 5:30A rolls around and that person continues with the mixes and keeps the
bread oven fully stocked, also making sure the counter is looking drop dead gorgeous,
while setting aside all the special orders and wholesale bread.

6A is here and well, someone’s gotta put together the Ruby order & deliver by 6:30A. 7A counter shift starts,
throw on that apron, and you better have your smile on because you are about to serve the best of the best
in Stevens Point, WI - K? So where are we at? That’s 5 people so far. 10A and thank goodness we have someone
taking care of all the daily counter prep for the next day! I’m either working one of these shifts, doing dishes
(my favorite job, seriously), organizing something, maybe at the office, running errands, or
who knows...maybe mowing my lawn? I hope that answers your question!

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And finally (this has nothing to do with anything), but here’s my go-to recipe when I
need to make a dinner that will impress. Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas.

More answers to come - Thank you all who submitted questions!
It’s never too late to ask more - just simply reply to this email!

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That’s it for today, but more to come!

Ta ta for now,

Sarah Jo More
owner & operator of MGB