Gluten-free bakery debuts on S. First Street
What began as a desperate need to make foods her son could thrive on, despite allergies and food sensitivities, has turned into a business. Traci Morgan-Hoernke now operates the newly opened gluten-free Mor Bakery & Cafe in Lincoln Warehouse in the city’s Harbor District.
Mor Bakery, which started regular hours this week, has a light-filled space at the building’s north end, courtesy of 60 feet of large windows; counter seats and seats at free-standing tables there have a view of the Kinnickinnic River. The bakery also has some cushy furniture for lounging — in all, seats for 24.
Morgan-Hoernke has plans for more at the 2,000-square-foot Mor. A community table is being built for the back of the cafe, a spot where a single customer can read or work or a group can gather; a bench will be installed at the front (the work is by Vision Design).
She will start baking gluten-free breads and, as the weather cools, begin adding a cafe menu of soups, salads and other items.
Right now, though, customers will find coffee and espresso drinks and a varying daily menu of gluten-free sweet treats, such as cookies, quick breads and poundcake.
They’re made from recipes that Morgan-Hoernke developed by trial and error starting more than a decade ago, after finding her son was allergic to a particular food dye and certain fruits and also had a gluten intolerance.
In part, she wanted to offer her son the same treats others were enjoying. “How many times do you tell a 3-yearold, ‘Sorry, you can’t have that,’ ” Morgan-Hoernke said.
Because she mixes her own flour blends, Morgan-Hoernke mostly can use organic flours without their driving up the cost of the baked goods, she said.
Mor sells chocolate-chip cookies three for 99 cents or a dozen for $3.49, for instance.
As a mother of three, MorganHoernke said, she knows moderately priced treats are appreciated. The cookies, she said, are practical sizes, not “as big as your head.”
Besides other cookies such as ginger spiced and lavender ($4.49 a dozen), the pastry cases are likely to hold oat crumbles ($2.99) with fresh-fruit centers, such as Door County cherries last week, or blueberries with reduced balsamic vinegar that makes the blueberries’ flavor pop, Morgan-Hoernke said.
(Some items are vegan, some contain ingredients such as butter; a number of pastries are made with nuts or nut flours. Customers who have dietary restrictions aside from gluten should ask about a baked good’s ingredients.)
Muffins and quick breads, such as banana bread ($1.99 a slice, $11.99 for an 8-by-4-inch loaf), and vegan brownies ($1.49) typically are available, and Mor sells glazed cake slices such as coconut cake with mango-orange topping or Swedish almond cake with loganberry topping (two slices for $1.99).
Mor’s name, incidentally, comes from the Swedish word for mother. “I would never have done this if it weren’t for my son and trying to feed him,” Morgan-Hoernke said.
Mor Bakery & Cafe is at 2018 S. First St., at Becher Street. Because the 1st Street bridge just north of the building is out until November, customers will have to arrive from the south, east or west.
The parking lot is accessible from South 1st Street north of Becher (ignore that “Road Closed” sign).
Hours are 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday; the bakery will be closed Labor Day.
To contact: (414) 249-3316. Mor Bakery also can be reached through Facebook, and it’s online at morfoodsmke .com.
Find Carol Deptolla’s dining reviews in the Wednesday Food & Dining section. Contact Carol at carol.deptolla@jrn.com, (414) 224-2841 or on Twitter, @mkediner.