The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
HUNNY BUNNS OPENS
Owner wants folks to feel comfortable, enjoy their food
WINSTED >> Food is a passion for Wendy Scanlon — one that she now hopes to share with town residents.
After operating a bakery at the Planted Feather Farm in Colebrook since 2002, Scanlon has now opened up the Hunny Bunns Cafe and Bakery on Main Street, offering a variety of goodies, including cupcakes, bread, and honey buns, as well as soup, sandwiches and coffee.
“I love food. I love to cook it; I love to make it; I love to grow it,” said Scanlon. “I like educating people about where their food comes from, and I like inventing new things — every week, I have dozens of recipes that I either added something to or changed around a little bit, trying to get a twist on some classic things.”
The business had outgrown the confines of the Colebrook farm, Scanlon said, sending her in search of a new location.
After some time, with the thought of the positive response she received at the town Farmer’s Market in mind as she thought of the community, Scanlon called the number on the sign posted in the window of the former Bear Claw, located at 314 Main St. , and found a new home, complete with a seating area for patrons to relax and enjoy their food.
“I just want (people) to be comfortable, and come in and get full, maybe hang out with their friends a little bit, and come back again,” said Scanlon.
Scanlon grew up in central Pennsylvania, where her appreciation for food came naturally — her mother, she said, was always baking, and kids would routinely arrive at her home to enjoy the treats — and now lives in Colebrook, where she runs The Planted Feather Farm.
The landscape and buildings in the Northwest Corner, she said, remind her of home. She came up with the idea of starting a bakery when trying to make a home for her family as well.
Scanlon said her daughter was born in 2000 and opening a bakery allowed her to fulfil two goals: avoiding having to place her daughter in day care, and starting a business that she loved.
“I like the fact that I can support my family doing something that I love. Very few people can actually say that,” said Scanlon. “I can’t wait to get here in the morning and make stuff. How many people go to work, and they just dread getting out of bed, let alone actually getting there and doing it? So I’m pretty lucky.”
The entirety of the offerings at the Hunny Bunns bakery, Scanlon said, are made from scratch. Soups are made on a daily basis, and baked goods available in the case are made that day.
Scanlon said that she’s more than happy to take suggestions, and make items that people in the community would like to eat.
The menu includes “soups, salads, sandwiches; cookies, cakes, pies — whatever I can crank out and get in that case,” said Scanlon. “Whatever people are asking for is what I want to give them.”
Folks were out to try the new eatery Monday afternoon.
Michael Somers, of Colebrook, was reclining on the couch with a companion, beside a series of potted plants. He said that he had enjoyed his food.
“It was very nice,” said Somers. “I think this is charming, to be able to sit on the couch.”
More information about the Hunny Bunns Cafe & Bakery, which officially opened for business Saturday, is available on its Facebook page.