My favorite recipes

Baking and serving treats in Palouse since last August, Mimi’s Bakery is the retirement avocation of Steve and Mary Martin. They purchased land near Tensed, Idaho, many years ago for a retirement home and later concluded that they needed something to do when he retired from teaching music history.

A native of Portland, Mary traveled a great deal while growing up. Her father was a plant pathologist.

Steve grew up in Philadelphia. He taught at Grinnell College in Iowa, the University of Washington, Yale University and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa before joining the staff at Portland State University.

When their daughters were old enough, Mary attended Western Culinary Institute in Portland. Steve notes that Mary comes from a long line of great cooks. She has, he commented, “an uncanny ability to flavor food. She already was a great cook when she went to the institute—she just needed to learn how to cook in quantity and use the volume equipment.”

Mary started by forming a personal chef service, but working in other people’s kitchens with all kinds of different equipment was tricky, so Steve built a commercial kitchen for her in the garage. Then a small restaurant nearby came up for sale, the Old Mill Cafe in Clackamas, Ore. They reopened it as a bakery. As the business expanded, they grew it into a full-scale restaurant with a staff of 15 to 20 people. When Steve retired, they sold the cafe, planned their move to Idaho and looked at a retirement project.

Mimi’s Bakery is much easier than the full restaurant, although they planned just as carefully for it. Renovating and furnishing the space became a do-it-yourself project in order to keep costs down. They plan to keep it the present size and hire people as needed. Strict quality control and careful management are keys to a successful small restaurant.

Steve advises anyone considering opening a business to “run the numbers.” When they opened Mimi’s Bakery with their planning and experience, they “knew that they could produce a product people would like.”

Recently an entrepreneur class from Washington State University school of business came to Mimi’s, and the Martins shared their experiences and numbers. Students analyzed their budget and income figures and compared them to statistics across the industry. It was a productive learning experience for all of them. The students were from all business areas, from finance to marketing, and the class helped them see the whole picture of owning a business.

For Mary and Steve, their goal is satisfied customers. After almost a year in business, they receive lots of special orders. They opened up with a bang last August, and then business tapered off a little after everyone tried them out. As they have settled in, they have drawn customers from around the area. Their main challenge is their location, a block off Main Street on Beech Street. A sandwich board sign helps point out their location.

One of the favorites at the bakery is kalachi with filling, a Czech pastry. Like all of their baked items, nothing is from a jar or can. All fillings are made from scratch. Their authentic Danish pastries with homemade fillings are a specialty. They are trying new whole grain breads and artisanal rye breads, including an old European rye that is made without commercial yeast.

Mary and Steve live near Tensed with their daughters and families on adjoining properties. Rebecca and Todd Payne own a small theater production company, APOD. They recently put on a musical version of “Pollyanna” at the American Legion Log Cabin in Potlatch, Idaho, and Mimi’s catered for the staff. Jessica, their other daughter, and Darin Mitchem were in the play, so it was a whole family thing. A granddaughter from each family starred in “Pollyanna.”

If you did not get to Potlatch to see “Pollyanna,” you can go to Mimi’s Bakery in Palouse, which is open Wednesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. The rye bread is available on Saturdays.

Recipes:

Pancakes/Waffles

Mix together:

3 eggs

1/4 cup oil

2 cups buttermilk

Then sift and blend into the liquid ingredients just until batter is formed, the following:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tsp salt

Make pancakes on a griddle or waffles on a waffle iron. Add blueberries or sliced apples, if desired.

Teriyaki Chicken

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

walnut-sized piece of fresh ginger finely grated

3 cloves fresh garlic, mashed

Mix all ingredients to blend, pour over one medium-sized chicken cut into pieces in glass baking dish, and marinate 1-2 hours at room temperature. Bake at 350 degrees in teriyaki sauce for 1 hour.

Rhubarb Crunch (serves 12):

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup melted butter

1 tsp cinnamon

Mix these ingredients together until crumbly; press 1/2 in bottom of greased 9 x 13 pan.

8 cups diced rhubarb

Mix together:

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

2 cups water

2 teaspoons vanilla.

Spread the diced rhubarb over crust. Mix sauce ingredients and cook until thick and clear; pour over rhubarb, and top with remaining crumbs.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Cut into squares while warm and serve with whipped cream.