Today marks the 10th anniversary of Blue Rooster Bakehouse’s delectable treats and traditions. Located on Main Street, Blue Rooster has gained a loyal following after opening its doors 10 years ago. From its freshly baked croissants to its rich cakes, both students and community members adore the bakery’s pastries. Since Nov. 15, 2014, Blue Rooster co-owners Leo and Wendy Boes have carefully curated every item on the menu to show the love that the couple has for the Oberlin community.
“My husband and I were both teachers, and we’d come to town to get pizza at Lorenzo’s [Pizzeria],” Wendy Boes said. “As we walked around, he pointed out that there wasn’t a bakery. I’d recently helped open a bakery outside Akron, so he suggested we open one here. I thought he was crazy, but then we saw this space … and had to decide that weekend. So we signed the lease and opened six weeks later.”
Blue Rooster offers a variety of baked goods, from cakes and cupcakes to pastries and bread. Cakes at the store are available by the slice as well as whole — something that Boes emphasized is a rare sight at other bakeries. There are 10–12 varieties of cookies baked daily, as well as brownies. In the years after opening the bakery, the couples decided to add breakfast pastries to their menu, with a focus on croissants, both savory and sweet. Other items include whoopie pies, cheesecake bars, sheet cake bars, and seasonal items such as pumpkin cookies and lemon blueberry cake. The bakery also boasts over 85 types of cakes, which customers can request to order throughout the year as well as purchase in store.
“I’ve always loved baking,” Boes said. “Growing up, my dad’s family was from West Virginia, and every time I visited, we’d bake something together. … Baking has always been a way for me to feel connected to my family. With my dad’s side of the family, baking was a way to show you cared. That’s what we wanted to create here — a place that offers that same sense of comfort and love, especially for students away from home who miss that warm, homemade feeling.”
The day starts early at the bakehouse, with staff arriving around 4 a.m. to begin the baking process that continues throughout the day. Each morning, fresh cookies and pastries are baked for the day while cakes are prepared in stages. Head Chef Anaiya Little and other staff are tasked with baking, wrapping, and chilling cakes overnight before frosting them the following day. Cupcake baking also follows a similar process. This schedule allows the bakery to consistently offer freshly made treats to its customers.
“My favorite part about working here is definitely the sense of community and being with everyone,” Little said. “It feels like a close-knit family. Hearing customers say things like, ‘This reminds me of something my grandma or mom used to make’ is one of the best compliments I can get. That sense of nostalgia is what makes working here so special to me. It’s funny, I always wrote in school projects that I wanted to be a chef, so it feels surreal to actually be doing this now. I just moved here about a month ago, and it’s been great so far.”
The Boeses have learned to understand the ebbs and flows of business, as well as how to work around students’ schedules. Parents and Family Weekend, for example, is often a busy time, while business tends to slow during Winter Term and summer. The Boeses credit the strong support from local customers during those times. Despite this, Wendy Boes commented that the business sees a 40 percent decline in revenue during the slow seasons. To accommodate this, the bakery takes a couple weeks off before Christmas and during the summer.
“My favorite part of the job is staying connected to the community and watching students grow over the years,” Blue Rooster Manager Hannah Richardson said. “Having been here for five years, I’ve had the privilege of seeing students take their first steps in Oberlin and then walk across the stage to receive their diplomas. It’s incredibly rewarding. The sense of community is strong, and I’ve made so many friendships with the people I see every day.”
During COVID-19, the bakery, which had been active for five years, closed completely from March through May. When they reopened for Mother’s Day, there was a strict at-the-door policy for picking up orders, with no customers allowed inside. This, however, allowed the bakery to quickly build a website and set up an online ordering system.
“It took quite a while — I think a year — to let people come back in,” Wendy Boes said. “We would let only two or three people at a time come in with a mask. We gradually transitioned. We were very careful because of our staff. … The back space was closed for at least a year.”
To celebrate their 10th anniversary, the bakery team started a raffle about a month ago; any customer who spends $25 at the bakery can enter. The idea for the raffle, inspired by a suggestion from Richardson, came from customers frequently coming in and saying they wish they could buy “one of everything.” On their anniversary, the bakery team will draw a name, and the winner will be awarded one of everything on a day of their choice. This is in celebration of the love and support Blue Rooster has gotten from the Oberlin community this last decade.
“I can’t believe we’ve been here for 10 years,” Wendy Boes said. “I remember that first year — I don’t think I took a deep breath the entire time. Now that we’re ten years in, I still don’t take anything for granted. The support from the students and the community is something I’m grateful for every day.”
