What makes Rheinlander Bakery unique?
We've been around for almost 65 years, and we have a large array of European confections and pastries, some authentic like our baklava and others are Americanized versions. Most of the truly authentic items I learned how to make directly from the previous owners, and we see many of those during the holiday season.
We also do a lot of fundraising for local organizations. Each year, we raise money with our king cakes for the Red Cross. We also support the Jefferson Center for Mental Health and during child abuse prevention month, we do a fundraiser for Ralston House. Every September, we work with the Community Table on something we call Bake Out Hunger.
When do you celebrate Oktoberfest?
Oktoberfest is traditionally the end of September and the beginning of October, usually two weekends in a row, if you're talking about the true Oktoberfest that they celebrate in Germany. We, however, start on September 1st and let it run all of September and October. A lot of people, for obvious reasons, assume Oktoberfest is in October and are disappointed when they find out they already missed out on everything. So we like to carry it all the way through October so that everyone has a chance to enjoy it. Part of how we celebrate Oktoberfest is with Strudel Fest.
What special strudels do you offer for Strudel Fest?
Our strudels are one of our most popular items year-round, but we introduce between five and ten new flavors during Strudel Fest, which runs September and October. Because apple is the most popular strudel all the time, we do a couple variations of it including caramel apple, which people love. We also make a Drunken Bavarian Apple strudel by soaking granny smith apples in a dark stout beer we get from a local collaboration with the Denver Beer Company, then add raisins and almonds.
We have cherry marzipan strudel because cherry is also a very traditional flavor. It has an almond filling that we put down with the cherries inside of it and people love that one.
Bienenstitch, which is known by the more colloquial term bee-sting, is a traditional German coffee cake that we make year-round. The strudel version is filled with vanilla custard, brushed with a honey almond glaze, and then topped with sliced almonds.
What other special items can customers find on the fall menu?
We add pumpkin cheesecake sweet rolls, pumpkin cupcakes, and we do pies for fall as well. We have classic pumpkin, pumpkin truffle, and pecan pies. We also have a pumpkin cheesecake pie that has the same filling as the sweet rolls. We offer our special Thanksgiving pies beginning in October so people can have a chance to try them before they order them in November.
One of our more Americanized offerings includes decorated cookies. We have them throughout the year, but I think our Halloween ones are the most fun because we have a lot of really cool designs for fall and Halloween-like skulls, jack-o'-lanterns, little ghosts, and spiders.
What exciting flavors are on the horizon for the holidays?
Cherry cranberry orange is one of our more Thanksgiving flavors, and we save that for the very end of October because it is a nice transition into the Thanksgiving season.
We also make a lot of special Christmas items like stollen, yule logs, potica, and springerle. Our spingerle cookies are probably one of the most traditional things that we make that are very authentic. They're like little anise meringue cookies and you roll it with a special rolling pin that has impressions on it of different Bible scenes.
What is your favorite part of having the bakery?
I've always really enjoyed baking and it's one of those things that when I was young, it was a dream career of something that would be really fun to do. After I started working here and everything fell into place to where my husband and I could buy the bakery, it was really cool to see it become a reality. It's fun and I love running a business with my husband.
Is there anything specific you enjoy about the holidays?
Going into the holidays, I feel energized by the super busy times. Even though it can be stressful and physically tiring, it's really exciting too because I love being an important part of people's holidays. When I'm making a strudel on December 23rd, and I'm just gassed because I've been working hard hours for days, I like to think how the thing I'm making right there is going to be like a part of someone's Christmas morning or their family celebration. It just feels really meaningful to be a part of people's traditions.
Our strudels are one of our most popular items year-round, but we introduce between five and ten new flavors during Strudel Fest, which runs September and October.
Loren Naftz first joined the family at Rheinlander Bakery in 2011, where she worked under the tutelage of previous owners, Maro and Ed Dimmer. From them, Loren learned how to recreate many of the authentic European and American inspired pastries and goodies served at the bakery today.
When the Dimmers retired in 2021, Loren and her husband, Luke, enthusiastically took on the responsibility and honor of carrying on the sixty-plus years of delicious legacy. They also continue the tradition of a family atmosphere, and patrons often see their kids around the bakery.
Over the last few years, the couple has also added their own creations to the menu, including items that are vegan, dairy-free, and sugar-free, to ensure that as many people as possible can indulge and enjoy a sweet treat.
Rheinlander Bakery, which is located at 5721 Olde Wadsworth Blvd in Olde Town, is open 7 days a week from 8:00am-6:00pm. For more information and to browse the menu, visit www.rheinlanderbakery.com, call 303-467-1810, and follow @rheinlanderbakery on social media.