Backdoor Bakery

If you think the “community-supported” business model has run its course, think again. Most folks are already familiar with CSAs (agriculture) and CSRs (restaurants). Now the little town of Huntington, best known for its deadly gorge, has a CSB: a community-supported bakery.

For the last year, Dean Menke — an engineer who’s also a “culinary chef and a pastry chef” — has been whipping up baked goods twice a week and selling them from the back porch of his house at 315 Bridge Street. That’s why he and his wife Patti dubbed their business The Backdoor Bakery [1] .

The CSB was a recent brainstorm. Starting this fall, 10 area families paid up front for six weeks’ worth of Menke’s sweet treats.

In January, Menke will start a similar share lasting eight weeks. He’s also pioneering a “dessert share” for the same period, which will offer lucky participants four scrumptious desserts, including cheesecake, layer cake and a tart.

What can back-porch visitors expect? “My specialties are croissants of various kinds: cheese, almond, chocolate, berry, depending on the season,” Menke says. Other tempting-sounding items include triple-ginger scones, pineapple turnovers, pretzels and brioche.