When moving to a new city, there are a few musts: hook up utilities, map route to grocery store, and find a new favorite local bakery. As a self-proclaimed pastry and baked goods snob/creator, I have incredibly high standards combined with an incessant need for weekly scones. I couldn’t believe my luck when, just a few weeks after moving to Anchorage, I found Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop. I’ve lived in Anchorage for about a year and a half and it has been a frequent stop of mine ever since. Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop is a sweet, hidden gem in one of downtown Anchorage’s little neighborhoods. It is unassuming and charming, as the best places always are. The bakeshop was started by the wife and husband duo Janis Fleischman and Jerry Lewanski in the spring of 2009 as a post-retirement hobby. Soon after it opened they rarely made it to closing time because all of the goodies kept selling out and the hobby morphed into a booming family business. Take one taste of their cookies, tarts, cakes, sandwiches, or rather the entire menu and you will certainly understand why!
It’s a weekly occurrence for Waverley and I to make a pit stop over at Fire Island when we are out and about. In the mornings we’ll indulge in a special treat, a Raspberry Lemon Zest Scone for me (made with lemon curd and raspberries– it’s to die for) and a Rocket Muffin for her (house-made raspberry jam + oats, banana, and molasses). Nate is partial to the Savory Ham, Cheddar & Chive Scone (artisanal ham paired with Dubliner cheddar and fresh chives). Or we’ll swing by for lunch and enjoy their daily sandwich selection; my go-to is the Tofu Bânh Mi (a traditional Vietnamese sandwich made with house-roasted marinated pork or tofu, pickled daikon radish and carrots, cucumber, mayonnaise, fresh cilantro, and jalepeños on a crispy baguette). You guys, I don’t even really like tofu and this sandwich is my favorite! We always pick up treats for later, because it’s impossible to resist the trays of stacked goodies staring at you on your way down the line. Their chocolate chip cookies are truly some of the best I’ve ever had! Everything is delicious and there is no poor choice when deciding which dessert to indulge in, except omitting treats altogether. Even their French macarons rival those I had in Paris! Rachel, the head baker and co-owner, is an expert and true artist with the bakeshop’s Pain au Chocolat, yet a recent visitor of ours couldn’t get over the Peanut Butter Crème Cookie (a sweet, peanut butter ganache sandwiched between crisp peanut oatmeal cookies). Decisions! We also always snag a few baguettes for weeknight dinners, because they make even canned soup seem like a gourmet meal.
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of spending an afternoon with all of the amazing bakers, chefs, and artists of Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop. It was such a fun day chatting with Rachel, who is the daughter of the founders and graduate of San Francisco Baking Institute. The energy is contagious and it was evident that everyone truly loves their job and believes in what they do there. I crept around spying on the bakers as they meticulously weighed flour for bread, frosted an impeccable (yet not too precious) chocolate cake, and contemplated macaron flavors. I learned the secret to awesome chocolate chip cookies (freeze the dough after forming it into balls!) and got to taste different macaron combinations. I watched Carlyle, who is in charge of everything savory, begin making the spreads and slaw for the next day’s sandwiches from scratch right there in-house. One of the most fun parts for me was learning how everyone got to where they are now, by way of pastry schools, random life turns, and endless culinary classes. Mostly, though, the day was spent discussing food, what makes restaurants excellent vs basic, and how Alaska is turning a big corner in its culinary trajectory.
I love Fire Island for many reasons, including their use of organic, locally sourced ingredients (not a small feat considering Alaska imports 95% of our food!) and their perfect coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate. However, I especially love Fire Island for progressing the Alaskan lifestyle beyond the typical. Down in the Lower 48, it is common for commercial sites to be interspersed and within walking distance from neighborhoods. That walkability is lost in Alaska and the lack thereof was certainly a difficult aspect for me to grow accustomed to when I moved here, yet Fire Island aims to change that. The bakeshop proved naysayers wrong with their success in a residential area, and I hope more businesses follow suit to bring Anchorage into a more modern era. As we speak, a new location of Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop is opening in another unassuming neighborhood– this one complete with a small market for last-minute grocery items, like organic milk and eggs, to grab on the walk home. My dream! I am waiting with bated breath for that to pop up in my neighborhood.
If you find yourself on an Alaskan vacation or live here full-time, I do hope you’ll stop by Fire Island Rustic Bakeshop. If you do live here, you’ll become an instant regular! If you are just visiting, you may very well wish you lived right next door. Either way, I’ll probably be there so make sure to say hello!
