angel food bakery building
"We first looked at this location in early March of 2020. A week later we shut down everything and had no idea if we'd even be able to come back at all, let alone in a new space." Katy Gerdes walked me through the Texa-Tonka space that will house her Angel Food Bakery and Frio Frio popsicle shop, finally opening this Friday.
"Our lease in downtown was ending, so we had only just started shopping around. But after everything, and knowing that our downtown business wasn't coming back anytime soon, we realized this space would let us do all that we wanted to do." Gerdes and her husband Chris wanted to expand their bakery, which they couldn't really do in their former space above Hell's Kitchen, and specifically add in their popsicle business which had been run on the side since launching in 2014.
Located right across the patio from the bustling new Revival spot, they'd been hoping to open this summer to hit max popsicle season. But construction issues and supply chain woes delayed the big party until this week.
counter in bakery
Up front, it's all Angel Food Bakery. The front counter will be stacked with baked goods and treats. Yes, those signature donuts will be back, but also the bars, muffins, cookies, and pretzels (there was chatter about new flavors and someone said jalapeño cream cheese). Gerdes also mentioned that there will be some new savory items, like a sausage roll and a vegetarian curry roll. Look for cold press and ice tea on tap, plus a full roster of coffee drinks and beans from local Folly Coffee. And I can personally tell you from living in this neighborhood, we need a coffee spot.
stools in front of bakery space
The space plays out the same black-and-white-with-pops-of-color scheme as their downtown location did, and there's an even bigger counter to sit and watch the bakers bake. Sprinkle-vision is an important part of how Gerdes wants people to interact with her baked goods, "we knew we had to find a way to let people watch what we were doing, it's one of my favorite things about the bakery." Yes there is one blue stool, which leads you to ...
flower mural black and white
cats mural
.... the back of the shop slowly transitions into Frio Frio. One side of this mural reads black and white, while the other side is cool cats licking lollies. "Yes, they all have names," Gerdes reported.
frio frio ice pop counter
The popsicle shop space is newly imagined, as the business has been run from a bicycle cooler before this. It's all color bombs and fun, and there will be popsicles to start, which can be gussied up with chocolate dips and sprinkles too, and shaved snow will come later. "This isn't a scoop shop, we won't have traditional ice cream, but the shaved snow is a bit creamy and you can top it with all sorts of fun stuff, so it will feel like an ice cream treat." Can we also understand that these are not normie lollies? Grapefruit/carrot/ginger or raspberry hibiscus flavors are just the beginning.
Because you know what else this location comes with? A full liquor license. Gerdes and team are working on some creative drinks and boozy shakes that should make an appearance later when things are humming, "We're super excited to partner with some of our bartender friends, because they can make better drinks than I can."
two patios outside texa-tonka
Can we have them shuttled across the patio for our post-chicken treat? Maybe.
Angel Food Bakery on Minnetonka Blvd. opens this Friday Sept. 24, from 6am-6pm, and they'll figure out the hours and days as they go.
