Photo courtesy Schnitzelbank Catering Facebook page

By ALLEN LAMAN
alaman@dcherald.com

JASPER — German foods cheffed up inside the Schnitzelbank Restaurant and its nearby catering building are regional draws. Last week, the local landmark’s catering arm launched a fresh endeavor with the hope of whisking more guests inside for new kinds of treats.

Filled with the fluffy, the gooey and the sweet — a new bakery inside Schnitzelbank Catering is officially open.

Jessica Douglas, who is the catering director and chef at the Jasper location, double majored in general culinary studies as well as baking and pastries in culinary school. Bringing a bakery to the company was always in the back of her mind.

COVID-19 brought it to the forefront.

“We were just trying to think outside the box,” Douglas said. “What else could we do?”

She explained that the figurative bread and butter of Schnitzelbank Catering comes from weddings, corporate events, picnics and other big gatherings that have been put on hold. While the Schnitzelbank Restaurant could offer carryout during Gov. Eric Holcomb’s stay-at-home order, the catering building, which is a standalone structure near the Schnitzelbank Restaurant on Third Avenue, wasn’t set up for a to-go ordering model.

Team brainstorming and planning led to a bakery menu filled with fresh breads and loads of sweets. Peanut butter rice krispie treats, cookies, cannolis, danishes, cream puffs, turnovers, apple fritters and varieties of cake doughnut holes are all made at the bakeshop, which is open from 7 a.m to 3 p.m. on Wednesdays through Fridays, and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Requests and special orders can also be made.

“I think everybody, right now, really in any industry, but definitely in the food and restaurant hospitality industry, has to really think outside the box of what they’re going to do,” Douglas said. “We were just fortunate enough that we kind of already had the facilities and equipment.”

Customers might recognize some of that equipment from other family bakeries that used to turn out treats in Jasper. A display case that used to sit inside The Mad Batter, which was located on Main Street, has found a new home at the Schnitzelbank shop. A bread slicer that cut through loaves at the Jasper City Bakery is also being used at the new business.

Douglas spoke highly of both of those closed establishments. She encouraged readers to visit her bakery to try something new and support a local business.

The bakery is located at 409 Third Ave. in Jasper.