Do you wish it could be Christmas all year round? At Nutcracker Café & Bakery in Starbuck, it is!
Stepping into Nutcracker Café & Bakery transports you to the North Pole. Christmas music plays over the speakers, the TV displays a continuous loop of holiday movies, and fireplaces crackle over every booth. The longer you look, the more nutcrackers you’ll find. The warm coffee, sweet treats topped with green and red sprinkles, and famous quiche will surely fill you with cheer.
Nutcracker Café & Bakery has been a staple in Starbuck for years now, but the owner, Amy Camp, and her delicious baked goods are new – and they fit right in.
Amy has always been passionate about baking. She started selling her baked goods at farmers’ markets and craft shows while working full-time and living in White Bear Lake.
All was merry and bright until the pandemic hit. Suddenly, Amy and her family were spending a lot more time at home, and the house started to feel a little too cozy.
“We were going to either remodel or move,” Amy explained. “And we figured remodeling would be just as much work – if not more – than moving. So, we decided to move to a house the size that we needed, which brought us to Starbuck.”
Amy continued to sell her goods at shows and markets around the Twin Cities and added a few near Starbuck. Her confections were a hit! She started to outgrow her kitchen and visions of sugar plums (and a bakery with a storefront) danced in her head.
“And then the opportunity to buy the Brooten Hometown Bakery came up,” Amy said. “So, we switched gears and did that.”
Amy bought Brooten Hometown Bakery in April 2023, but Amy and her husband Jon didn’t want to lose their connection to Starbuck.
“The days the bakery was closed, we were still trying to do craft shows and markets,” Amy said. “We were doing a pop-up here in Starbuck on Sundays, and it was going very well. But fall was coming, and it’s like, ‘We’ve got to find a building.’”
And much like a Christmas miracle, the perfect solution – Nutcracker Café & Bakery – was right across the street from their pop-up.
“I got a phone call from one of my bakery customers asking if I might be interested in buying the Nutcracker and if she could pass my phone number on to the owner,” Amy said. “I needed the cafe in order to have a pastry case in Starbuck, and I love Christmas, so it was icing on the cake.”
So, just a few months after buying the bakery, and with the help of a loan from West Central Initiative, Amy bought a cafe!
Amy’s advice for opening a new business?
“If you don’t ask the question, the answer is always no.”
“When I first walked into the bank, I asked, ‘Can I buy a bakery?’ and he said, ‘Sure.’ And then we worked out the details,” Amy recalled. “Then, a few months later, I asked, ‘Can I buy a cafe?’ and he said, ‘Sure.’ The answer is always no if you don’t ask.”
Amy and Jon completed their first holiday season at the cafe with relatively few changes to Nutcracker Café & Bakery’s traditions. The crowd-pleasing quiche will remain a cafe staple, and the holiday spirit is here to stay.
The new pastry case filled with festive delectables from Brooten Hometown Bakery is a welcome addition.
Amy plans to expand the menu and host special events at the cafe year-round.
“Customers suggested I do a Lutefisk and Lefse dinner,” Amy said. “So, we did that, and that was great!”
Make sure you mark your calendars for the next Lutefisk and Lefse dinner on April 14.
Amy isn’t afraid of a little holiday fusion, either. Head to Nutcracker Café & Bakery for a romantic Valentine’s Day under the mistletoe, feel the luck of the Irish amongst the Christmas trees on St. Patrick’s Day, and have a holly jolly breakfast with the Easter Bunny in March.
Nutcracker Café & Bakery in Starbuck will continue to spread joy and holiday magic with Amy Camp, the passionate baker turned cafe owner, at the helm. Starbuck can look forward to holiday fusion and delicious treats for years to come. Cheers to a year-round celebration of joy, warmth, and delectable delights at Nutcracker Café & Bakery!
