Wapak bakery opens: The Rolling Pin offers artisan bread, pastries
Jun. 21—WAPAKONETA — As a college student majoring in international studies and the Spanish language, Ashley Kieber traveled to Italy, Spain, France and Germany. She learned many things during that time. Chief among them was that she really did not want to spend the rest of her life working in an office.
With that realization, the 2014 graduate of Spencerville High School had a change of heart ... and plans for the future. Kieber spent a year in Panama with the Peace Corps, where along the way she discovered she really liked baking. For the past four years she worked at a prominent bakery in Michigan, where she learned the intricacies of making bread, and a top-end restaurant in Columbus, where she worked her way up to the position of pastry supervisor.
"I always dreamed of opening a bakery, but I never dreamed it would happen by the time I was 28," Ashley said.
But the dream is now a reality with the opening last week of The Rolling Pin, a European-inspired artisan bakery located at 102 W. Auglaize St. in Wapakoneta's historic downtown.
A ribbon-cutting hosted by the Wapakoneta Area Chamber of Commerce was held Friday morning at the bakery. Chamber Director Jackie Martell said the community is "beyond thrilled; super excited ... and drooling a little bit," to welcome Kieber and her bakery to town.
"You have breathed life back into this beautiful building and the entire community is here for you," Martell said.
Wapak Mayor Dan Lee called The Rolling Pin "a wonderful shop, unlike anything we have here."
Kieber said it has been a "long journey to get here," with delays related to the coronavirus complicating the opening. The past year, she said, has been spent primarily on renovating the former sandwich shop.
"Opening The Rolling Pin in my hometown has been a dream come true. I'm thrilled to bring my passion for baking and my experience from across the country back to the region," she said. "I am grateful to my father, Tim Keiber, for his unwavering support and tireless efforts in managing the building renovations, handcrafting the beautiful bench and pastry boards and transforming our building into a stunning café. I can't wait for everyone to see and taste what we've been working on."
The Rolling Pin offers a blend of artisan (made-from-scratch) bread, pastries and modern American delicacies. Sandwiches that include turkey club and Mediterranean vegetable, soups and salads such as cashew chicken and beet and pecan round out the menu.
Breakfast and lunch will be served weekly from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Catering and take-out options are available.
WHAT: The Rolling Pin bakery and cafe
WHERE: 102 W. Auglaize St., Wapakoneta
HOURS: Wednesday through Sunday from 6 a.m.-3 p.m.
