Brieschke's Bakery flourishes in Sylvania

Kyle Brieschke, left, pulls a doughnut cake out while his father, Dan, center, and Scott King, right, work on separate projects Friday at Brieschke's Bakery in Sylvania. THE BLADE/KATIE RAUSCH Enlarge | Buy This Photo

Bonnie Brieschke and her husband Don started working in the pastry arts field at Churchill’s Grocery many years ago.

But when she was pregnant with her first son, Mrs. Brieschke found out that a bakery in downtown Sylvania, at 5639 Main St., was for sale. The family bought the location, which had been a bakery since 1932. Today, about 30 years after they bought the store and renamed it to Brieschke's Bakery, business is flourishing.

“We do a little bit of everything around here,” she said, as she worked on a donut cake. The popularity of the cakes has picked up, she said, and some customers have driven from other parts of the state to buy one.

Bonnie Brieschke works on frosting a cake at her bakery in Sylvania. THE BLADE/KATIE RAUSCH Enlarge | Buy This Photo

In the back room where all of the baking is done, the store maintains a vintage appearance. White buckets full of frosting, containers of flour and baking supplies, sit amidst the smell of chocolate and sugar.

Daily, Mrs. Brieschke said, the number of cakes the business churns out can vary.

“I try not to do more than 45,” she said. “That’s a lot on my hands.”

But as she puts frosting on a chocolate raspberry cake, she makes the task look effortless. And as the cake goes out onto a table to be boxed for a customer, she said, the benefits of having a small town bakery extend to better customer service. Some customers have been known to stop by the Brieschke family house, only a mile or so away, for late pick-up orders.

Contact Kelly McLendon at: kmclendon@theblade.com or 419-206-0356 or on Twitter at @MyTownSylvania.