Ken AND Ani GUIDE Hank’ Pastries InTO ITS 45TH ANNIVERSARY Ken and Angie DeJong had only been mar ried four months when an opportunity came to purchase Hank’s Pastries, the business his father started, from his brother Wayne. Ken had considerable bakery experience, having worked for his father (Hank) when he was a teenager and about six years at a bakery in Port Hope. But Angie had no bakery experience. “My background was in engineering and graphic arts. It was a terrifying time,” she recalled. That was 1986, but when Hank died unex- pectedly of a heart attack just over a year later, family the young couple were left with the business solely in their hands. Despite it being a good business, having provided a decent living for the senior De Jongs, it wasn’t long before Ken and Angie ran into their first hurdle. With the introduction of in-shop bakeries in the local grocery stores, they experienced a steep decline in their bread sales. And until that time, bread had been one of their biggest selling products. fo compensate for a significant decline in their bread business, Angie and Ken focused more extensively on their famous cakes and pastries and renovated the front of the store to make their restaurant division easier for their customers to get in and out quickly for lunch. The next blow they had to weather was the arrival of the chain coffee shops in town. Before them, Hank’s opened at 5:30 a.m. to service the truckers and early commuters. Today they open at 7 a.m. because there are few people in town before that time. Still a meeting place for locals and visitors to town, Hank’s Pastries remains one of Port Perry's favourite destinations. Continued from page 15 same about other recipes that have been handed down by his father. Weekdays they bake about 15 dozen cinnamon buns per day, but this num- ber triples come Saturday and before Christmas they produce about 50 dozen of these sticky, sweet buns a day. Bread has always been one of the sta- ples for the bakery and they produce about 20 varieties, including white and whole wheat. Today Ken says, about 60 per cent of the bread they sell is unsliced, quite different than a decade ago. Another popular product at the bakery is Hank's donuts, especially their honey dipped and jam filled varieties. Cooked fresh everyday, they have retained many faithful customers despite the local chain donut shops. As with everything in the bakery, cook- ing the donuts is very hands-on and Larry keeps a close eye on the circular mounds of dough bobbing on top of the oil, turn- ing them quickly with a set of wood tongs to keep them from overcooking. Nearby, Debbie is busy dipping the freshly cooked donuts in the sweet glaze and sliding them on long skewers. After they've finished dripping, they’ll be placed on trays and delivered to the coffee shop where customers place their orders or gobble them up on site. “One of the secrets to the success of our donuts is that all our fillings are made from scratch,” Ken says of their jelly donuts. The same care and treatment goes into their fruit pies and tarts. The bakery at Hank’s is not large, but it’s crammed with all the tools of the trade, including a large walk-in freezer and refrigerator, a proofer (compartment sed d u gh for rising), mixers and Many of their customer's favourite receipes originated from his father Hank, who started the business tables for rolling out dough. The large side by side oven consists of six rotating shelves, which can cook up to 100 loaves of bread at a time... and of course a far larger number of those deli- cious cinnamon buns. Another important item produced by Ken and his staff is specialized cakes. They make custom cakes for all occassions and Ken says most of their cakes are spe- cial order. He's had all kinds of requests over the years from the risqué, to the unique. Among the most memorable was a tiered cake in the shape of a cruise ship, but he also recalls creating cakes in the shape of a stack of gifts and a large hat. Wedding cakes are also in big demand, with Ken doing the baking and icing while Angie takes on the air brushed decorating and artwork. Ken does most of the letter- ing on all of their cakes. Other amusing custom orders Ken’s accommodated include a nine inch donut for one customer, and large cookies are also a popular item. “They’re all (custom orders) very time consuming but they do help break the routine of the long day,” Ken says. Ken and Angie are celebrating the 45th anniversary of Hank’s Pastries this month and proudly continue to bake with many of the traditional recipes handed down to them by the businesses namesake, Hank DeJong. So, the next time you're biting into one of those big cinnamon buns or jelly filled donuts, just remember the bleary-eyed bakers behind the scenes who make your day just a little bit sweeter by baking up fresh goodies every day. By J. Peter Hvidsten Focus on Scugog Y695 a yd BS Unlock your heritage... - THE SCUGOG GAME PRESERVE - THE CAUSEWAY BRIDGE - STEAMBOATS ON SCUGOG - PORT PERRY RAILWAY Avaltable at. BOOKS GALORE 175 ceny street, port peny F. ML FINDS 100 queen street. Port Pery 18 FOCUS - MAY 2008 focus@observerpub.ca