RISE TOGETHER. The Bauer family behind 52 Bakery (pictured) stand behind their weekly stall at the Eau Claire farmers market on Satrudays from 7:30am-1pm. Randy Bauer (far right), the heart behind the regional baked goods business, develops new recipes week-to-week – many inspired by the decades of experience in fine dining and food service. (Photo by Evelyn Nelson)

Whether you call Menomonie or Eau Claire home, there’s a high probability you have come across the baked goods of 52 Bakery at the two cities’ downtown farmers markets. 

For more than two decades, Randy Bauer – a veteran chef and owner of the bakery business – has operated out of a fully licensed industrial kitchen in his own home and channeled culinary skills into delectable experiences for the tastebuds.

Over the past few weekends, I joined the dozens of others in line at the weekend farmers market in Eau Claire’s Phoenix Park, waiting for Bauer’s highly regarded focaccia, specialty scones and German-style pretzels.

Chippewa Valley residents know to arrive at the 52 Bakery booth right at 7:30am when the markets begin. Delaying even slightly means potentially missing out on his weekly selection of ever-changing, artisanal flavors, Bauer said.

“My goal is so (that) everybody can have a loaf of bread,” Bauer said. “After 19 years, I know a lot of my customer base … when we first started selling, there wasn't really (a lot) of what I do with the focaccias, the scones, the cookies.”

Bauer’s story in the kitchen begins long before 52 Bakery; he began work as a line cook in local steakhouses, supper clubs and worked his way up into front-of-house and high-level chef positions in the Macy’s department store of Minneapolis, Minn.

“My mother was a fantastic bread baker; I grew up going out and picking wild blackberries ... The smells and the tastes ... it just kind of permeates into who you are.”

randy bauer

owner and baker, 52 bakery

He shared stories of “the dance,” back when he was line cook in the former Menomonie restaurant, The Creamery (now a boutique and events space); a location where farm-to-table cuisine shaped his dedication to many of the foraging techniques he now applies to his baked goods.

“We were literally ‘farm-to-table’ before people (had) heard of farm-to-table,” Bauer said. “We grew our own garden, had our pigs out back. I used to have farmers pull up to the back door and we bought produce off the back of their cars.”

“We’d go down to the local spring and pick watercress and make soups and sauces … The Creamery was a very cool place to go,” he continued.

Focaccias from 52 Bakery (pictured) can range from flavors such as "Pesto Parm," "Tomato Olive Pepper," “The Veronica” among others. (Image via Facebook)

Bauer has three sons who have been involved with 52 Bakery since they were young, alongside his wife Lisa Bauer. Today, now in their late 20s and early 30s, his children continue to work alongside him to prepare for weekend markets.

The family spends weekdays purchasing ingredients – from bulk cheeses, organic produce from Weaver’s Country Store (E13855 US-12, Fall Creek) and assorted grains from Heartland Craft Grains in Lodi – which is often followed by milling his own rye berries and other ingredients found in his sourdough loaves and pastries. 

Together, Bauer and sons prepare various toppings used for their signature focaccias – from pestos and sauces to olive spreads and tapenades.

Among the specialized equipment Bauer has integrated into his professional home kitchen over the years is a massive, 1,800-pound mixer from 1954 – an 80-quart powerhouse he still relies on today.

“Ironically, I got it from The Creamery,” Bauer said. “I used it at The Creamery when I was in my 20s – (now) it’s sitting in my kitchen; it’s still rolling.”

Bauer’s Saturday routine begins in the dead of night, typically around 12:30am, to hand-craft his signature pretzel twists, fresh baguettes and a variety of sweet-and-savory scones. This early start ensures his artisanal offerings are often still warm to the touch upon their arrival at the markets, Bauer said.

Focaccia, the bakery’s signature item, is offered in variations such as “The Veronica” with blue cheese, rosemary, onions and black grapes; the “Not Enough Garlic,” made with paper-thin sliced garlic, sweet peppers and rosemary, among many others. 

These specialty varieties have been inspired by the very customers who have patronized 52 Bakery over the years, Bauer said.

52 Bakery's German-style twist pretzels (pictured), have appeared at local food and drink joints outside of the farmers market – including 3rd & Vine in Eau Claire. (Image via Facebook)

In addition to fresh baguettes, sourdough loaves of bread, pretzels and scones, Bauer has made sure to pay homage to his family’s roots in the kitchen through “Aunt Eileen’s Molasses Cookies” – an old-school cookie made with lard using his aunt’s recipe, or his mother’s potato bread recipes.

“My mother was a fantastic bread baker; I grew up going out and picking wild blackberries; pin cherries and we had a huge strawberry patch,” Bauer said. “The smells and the tastes ... it just kind of permeates into who you are.”

As the summer months and area farmers markets continue on, a local legacy of specialized baked goods and soul-warming flavors will surely remain at the Bauer family’s stall.

Stay up-to-date with new announcements and bakery specials from 52 Bakery, online through Facebook. 52 Bakery can be found at the Menomonie Farmers Markets on Wednesdays from 10am-4pm; Eau Claire Farmers Market on Saturdays from 7:30am-1pm.