Bakery

KOW Artisan Bread

Our bakeries strive to offer the highest quality, freshest products possible with knowledgeable, friendly customer service, whether it’s placing a cake order for that special occasion or helping someone choose just the right loaf of bread for dinner. Always top of mind are our strict standards: to make quality baked goods made with the cleanest ingredients possible, all while providing the best in taste, freshness, variety and price. Our strict shelf life standards ensure that you have maximum time to enjoy your purchased baked goods.

Click here for more info straight from our Bakery Director, Russ Tourville.

QUALITY – We start by using all our internal resources here at Kowalski’s. We have many employees with years of experience, from bakers and pastry chefs to culinary experts who have worked together to create many of our products in the bakery. We then make sure we use the highest quality ingredients possible. 

TASTE – We spend many hours searching out new trends and flavor profiles, perfecting recipes and sometimes bringing back old classics. And, of course, we taste and approve everything before we sell it on our shelves. It’s a hard job, but somebody has to do it! 

SHELF LIFE – Our strict shelf life standards ensure that our customers have maximum time to enjoy their purchased baked goods. Many grocers stretch the boundaries of shelf life by expanding the “sell by” date, compromising the quality of their products. 

LOCAL ARTISAN BAKERS – While we bake many of our own products on-site, we also partner with local artisan bakers so we can offer the very best selection of baked goods, artisan breads, pastries and other sweet treats. We choose partners based on their ability to produce unique, quality products and strive to build right relationships that ensure sustainability. 

ARTISAN BREAD – Our Artisan Bread Tables are brimming with a diverse selection of European breads baked off daily right in our stores. Our variety surpasses any bakery in our market. We not only offer hard, crusty breads but also softer-crust breads and rolls that are unique to the market. 

GLUTEN FREE – Our Locally Made Gluten Free program focuses on quality, freshness and especially taste! 

SIGNATURE CAKE LINE – Our moist, rich cake is frosted with our Family Favorite Buttercream, a recipe that has been in the family for over 30 years. It is made from scratch with five simple ingredients, including real butter (not imitation flavoring). We also offer a line of Dessert Cakes that have more upscale flavor profiles. These recipes are a collaboration between Kowalski’s culinary and bakery experts. These high-quality Dessert Cakes are great for entertaining or celebrating that special occasion.

KITCHEN COUNTER CAKES –  We also have cakes inspired by the classic cakes your mom always left on the kitchen counter. Sneak a slice or a bite – it’s up to you! Our collection includes Very Vanilla Cake, Mary Anne’s Chocolate Cake iced with chocolate fudge, Banana Cake with Penuche Icing, Chocolate Zucchini Cake, Lemonade Cake and S’mores Cake.

Click here to learn more about our Signature Bakery Products. 

Stack of assorted Kowalski's Family Favorite Cookies

Signature Product Focus

FAMILY FAVORITE CAKE
These traditional birthday cakes are made with moist cake and frosted with our Family Favorite Buttercream Icing.

MORNING BUNS
We bake off our caramel and cinnamon rolls fresh every morning for our customers. This dough is made by a local artisan baker.

FAMILY FAVORITE COOKIES
We have unique, nostalgic and trendy cookie flavors. These old-fashioned favorites are handmade from family recipes for a comforting, familiar flavor

Signature Bakery Bars Stack

Central Bakery

Our Central Bakery, located at our Shoreview Market, produces, packages and ships to every store daily, resulting in fresh product and limited use of our freezer. (Freezing product is a common practice that our competitors rely upon heavily.) We target lines of product that can be made in large batches. This helps us produce a quality product and ensures consistency. Always top of mind are our strict standards: to make quality baked goods with the cleanest ingredients possible, all while providing the best in taste, freshness, variety and price.

FRESH PRODUCT
We produce and ship fresh product to our stores six days a week. We bake from scratch, whenever possible, and never freeze product prior to shipping. Fresh cookie, coffee cake and scone dough are mixed at the Central Bakery and are shipped to our in-store bakeries to finish baking. Other items, like Kowalski’s Signature Bars and All Natural Sandwich Breads, are baked at the Central Bakery and arrive fresh in our stores the same day.

QUALITY INGREDIENTS
We strive to produce the highest quality product we can, starting with our ingredients. We use the cleanest ingredients possible. Currently around 80% of what the Central Bakery produces has no artificial colors, artificial flavors or preservatives. We have completely eliminated the use of trans fats.

CAKE DECORATORS
We have some of the most talented cake decorators in the business. You can view some of these cakes on our website. Don't see what you're looking for on our website? Stop by any of our markets and speak with the Bakery Department to discuss options for a custom decorated cake. Our cake decorators would love to make your ideas come to life!

GREAT SEASONAL OFFERINGS
Like most retailers, we produce many seasonal favorites. Ours are time-tested classics made with decade-old recipes, like our Signature Pumpkin Pie. We also produce culinary-inspired desserts, such as our Lemon Champagne Cake. Our holiday cookies use nothing but butter, which makes them irresistible.