Twenty-hour days, nearly sleepless nights: This is what the two-person crew at Alpine Pastries is expecting come Thanksgiving.
Spouses Robert and Becky Kelty have owned Alpine Pastries since 1995, and this time of year the pair is prepping for holiday orders, offering nine types of pies, plus cakes, cookies, tortes and pastries.
“The day prior to Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for us,” Robert said.
The shop sets a cutoff date around Nov. 19, so they have time to bake. The husband and wife are the only bakers, and the only other help in their shop is their 27-year-old son. Becky says while the crazy hours can be stressful, they are glad to be busy.
According to Robert, doing things by hand makes a difference.
“Everything here is hand rolled, hand cut and hand prepared,” he said.
That goes for the Thanksgiving staple, pumpkin pie, as well. Alpine Pastries’ trick for a perfect pumpkin pie? Skip the cloves.
“The key to a good pie is a good crust,” Robert revealed.
Kittredge resident Fred Kloepper has been patronizing Alpine Pastries for nearly five years. This trip, he bought a box of treats to share at a meeting, including gingerbread and dinosaur cookies.
“I keep coming back because it’s really good stuff,” he said.
Becky says the relationship with her customers is one of the best parts about owning this business, especially the conversations they have in the shop. In addition, having her creations be a part of people’s special days is also important.
“We love our customers, some we’ve had for 25, 26 years,” she said. “We are a part of a whole bunch of families and their celebrations.”