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7B www.theshorthorn.com | pulse thursday, february 19, 2009 BY ALANNA QUILLEN The Shorthorn staff As generations come and go, a local bakery continues to serve customers with its homemade cakes, cookies and pies. The Red Oven bakery on Miller Lane in Pantego has watched the city grow for almost 35 years. “We’ve been very lucky to sur- vive this long, and I think location is a big part of it,” owner Mark Chapman said. “Over the years, we’ve built up a good relationship with the city and the customers.” The bakery sells more than 300 homemade goods like brownies, coffee cakes, chocolate éclairs, car- rot cakes, vanilla wafers and cinna- mon bread. All of these items cost less than $10. The shop specializes in red velvet cakes and cupcakes, a mix of cocoa, egg whites and flour topped with cream cheese icing. “It is, by far, our biggest seller of everything,” said long-time em- ployee Helen Swygert. She has even sent the red velvet creations to a military customer stationed in Iraq. She sent the cupcakes along with pastry tips and icing in parchment paper. “He told me it was the biggest hit,” she said. “Big army guys were icing their own cupcakes.” The bakery also makes gradu- ation cakes for high schools and universities, including UTA, UT- Austin and Texas A&M University. Customers can place orders for Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July, Christmas, Halloween and Easter. A favorite among children, sample cupcakes, cookies and other pastries are available at the front counter, said 15-year em- ployee Barbra Barrett. “When the kids come in, that’s the first thing they go to,” she said. Swygert, 71, has worked at the bakery counter for 21 years and enjoys watching her customers grow up. “We have had kids that used to go to junior high nearby, and now they’re married and live in San Francisco,” she said. “When they come home for Christmas, they always stop by to see if we’re still giving away cookies.” The owner’s father opened the bakery in 1975 after he stopped working for a large supermarket company and decided to start his own business. After earning his master’s de- gree in library science at the Uni- versity of North Texas in 1974 and working at a library for seven years, Chapman didn’t expect to end up at a bakery. He worked part-time for his father’s business when it opened, and he went full time in 1979. “I didn’t even have an account- ing degree,” he said. “I never thought I would eventually run a bakery, but I learned by the seat of my pants.” Chapman’s father named the bakery after the red-painted ovens seen through a large window that used to be in the kitchen. In the 1970s, the shop sold goods in one building and baked them in another, hauling them back and forth across an alley. Chapman’s father suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and died in October 2007 at age 81. He stopped working at the bakery during the last several years of his life. Over the years, many small bakeries have disappeared, and the worsening economy makes it tougher for The Red Oven, Chap- man said. “Bakeries like us usually last 25 years,” he said. “It’s a hard busi- ness, but we’re still hanging in there.” ALANNA QUILLEN [email protected] How Sweet It Is Pantego family bakery making that dough for almost 35 years FOOD The Shorthorn: Monica Lopez Arlington resident Rebecca King and her son Christopher browse around Tuesday at The Red Oven in Pantego. King and her son were looking for ideas for his restaurant in Vivian, S. D. The Red Oven bakery 2505 Miller Lane, Pantego Hours: 8:30 a.m.–6 p.m. Tuesday- Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturday Sample Menu: 7” Red Velvet cake: $14.95 Brownies: $6.25 a dozen Beef Enchilada meal: $13.75 Chocolate éclair: $1.75 Carrot cake cupcake: 65 cents Red Velvet cupcake: 60 cents Pizza dough: $1.95 Toppings: $1.50-$2.00 French bread rolls: $3 a dozen The Shorthorn: Monica Lopez Red velvet cake and cupcakes are The Red Oven’s specialty. The bakery also pre- pares other dishes like enchiladas and stuffed bell peppers.
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7Bwww.theshorthorn.com | pulsethursday, february 19, 2009
By AlAnnA QuillenThe Shorthorn staff
As generations come and go, a local bakery continues to serve customers with its homemade cakes, cookies and pies. The Red Oven bakery on Miller Lane in Pantego has watched the city grow for almost 35 years.
“We’ve been very lucky to sur-vive this long, and I think location is a big part of it,” owner Mark Chapman said. “Over the years, we’ve built up a good relationship with the city and the customers.”
The bakery sells more than 300 homemade goods like brownies, coffee cakes, chocolate éclairs, car-rot cakes, vanilla wafers and cinna-mon bread. All of these items cost less than $10. The shop specializes in red velvet cakes and cupcakes, a mix of cocoa, egg whites and flour topped with cream cheese icing.
“It is, by far, our biggest seller of everything,” said long-time em-ployee Helen Swygert.
She has even sent the red velvet creations to a military customer stationed in Iraq. She sent the cupcakes along with pastry tips and icing in parchment paper.
“He told me it was the biggest hit,” she said. “Big army guys were icing their own cupcakes.”
The bakery also makes gradu-ation cakes for high schools and universities, including UTA, UT-Austin and Texas A&M University. Customers can place orders for Valentine’s Day, Fourth of July, Christmas, Halloween and Easter.
A favorite among children, sample cupcakes, cookies and other pastries are available at the front counter, said 15-year em-ployee Barbra Barrett.
“When the kids come in, that’s
the first thing they go to,” she said.Swygert, 71, has worked at the
bakery counter for 21 years and enjoys watching her customers grow up.
“We have had kids that used to go to junior high nearby, and now they’re married and live in San Francisco,” she said. “When they come home for Christmas, they always stop by to see if we’re still giving away cookies.”
The owner’s father opened the bakery in 1975 after he stopped working for a large supermarket company and decided to start his own business.
After earning his master’s de-gree in library science at the Uni-versity of North Texas in 1974 and working at a library for seven years, Chapman didn’t expect to end up at a bakery.
He worked part-time for his father’s business when it opened, and he went full time in 1979.
“I didn’t even have an account-ing degree,” he said. “I never thought I would eventually run a bakery, but I learned by the seat of my pants.”
Chapman’s father named the bakery after the red-painted ovens seen through a large window that used to be in the kitchen. In the 1970s, the shop sold goods in one building and baked them in another, hauling them back and forth across an alley.
Chapman’s father suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and died in October 2007 at age 81. He stopped working at the bakery during the last several years of his life.
Over the years, many small bakeries have disappeared, and the worsening economy makes it tougher for The Red Oven, Chap-man said.
“Bakeries like us usually last 25
years,” he said. “It’s a hard busi-ness, but we’re still hanging in there.”
AlAnnA [email protected]
How Sweet It Is
Pantego family bakery making that dough for
almost 35 years
FOOD
The Shorthorn: Monica Lopez
Arlington resident Rebecca King and her son Christopher browse around Tuesday at The Red Oven in Pantego. King and her son were looking for ideas for his restaurant in Vivian, S. D.
The Red Oven bakery2505 Miller Lane, PantegoHours: 8:30 a.m.–6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m. SaturdaySample Menu:7” Red Velvet cake: $14.95Brownies: $6.25 a dozenBeef Enchilada meal: $13.75Chocolate éclair: $1.75Carrot cake cupcake: 65 centsRed Velvet cupcake: 60 centsPizza dough: $1.95Toppings: $1.50-$2.00French bread rolls: $3 a dozen
The Shorthorn: Monica Lopez
Red velvet cake and cupcakes are The Red Oven’s specialty. The bakery also pre-pares other dishes like enchiladas and stuffed bell peppers.
