Decadent treats: Becky Bakes a hit in New Ulm

NEw ULM — Raspberry Filled White Chocolate. Irish Whiskey Fudge. Texas Toffee Crunch. Funfetti Sandwich. This might sound like a description of the shelves of Willy Wonka’s famous factory, but it’s really just another day in the life of bakery co-owners Becky Waibel and Emily Atnip.

The mother and daughter duo opened Becky Bakes, a catering service and pop-up bakery, in downtown New Ulm in September 2020. While COVID-19 did its best to throw roadblocks in their way, the power of sugar – and the love people have for a decadent treat – is strong.

“We didn’t anticipate it going over so well!” said Emily Atnip. “It’s kind of a novelty, and people really seem to love it.”

She and her mother choose specific Saturdays, usually around a holiday, to open their bakery to foot traffic. The line to purchase cookies, cupcakes, cake pops, muffins, scones, and bars often snakes past the big glass display cooler and out the door.

Waibel had been cooking for years before she first thought to open her own bakery in her hometown of New Ulm. As one of eight kids growing up on the family farm, she had plenty of experience baking almost nonstop for her appreciative brothers and sisters before becoming a longtime employee of Pioneer Catering, with which she served the students of Martin Luther College.

“I just loved what I did,” Waibel said about her time at MLC. “I wanted everything I made to be so good and tasty, and I wanted people to love it.”

Even while cooking full time, Waibel found opportunities to bake for her loved ones. Family and friends came to rely on her for birthday cakes and treats for special celebrations. Word of Waibel’s talent spread and she had more requests each week. Many New Ulm residents hoped that she would become the area’s resident baker.

“People kept telling me what a need there was for (a bakery),” Waibel said. The more she considered the idea, the better it sounded, especially as the commissions continued to double. She talked it over with Atnip, who had just moved back from Texas. Seeing how excited her mother was, Atnip offered her services in bringing Becky Bakes to life.

Together, the mother-daughter team purchased a location in one of New Ulm’s oldest buildings. The brick storefront is listed on the National Register of Historic places and had been converted into a bakery in 1871 by the Melges family. Because building code has changed considerably since the late 19th century, Waibel and Atnip had the floors and walls renovated and installed commercial kitchen appliances as well as the refrigerated display case in the shopping area.

COVID pivot

At first, the two said they planned a traditional brick-and-mortar store that produced cakes, cupcakes, and other goodies for parties and celebrations of all kinds.

When COVID-19 caused widespread cancellations and rescheduling of events, the team took the creativity they used to make their treats and applied it to their business model. Pop-up events, advertised via Facebook, proved to be outrageously popular.

“So many people think it’s the neatest thing,” Atnip said. “It’s a way for people to get out of the house during COVID.” It’s also an ideal opportunity for the Becky Bakes duo to try out new recipes on an eager customer base and to serve up fun holiday-only specials such as “reindeer poop” cake bites or hot cocoa cupcakes with whipped marshmallow filling.

Waibel and Atnip’s close partnership is most evident in their fun and unique flavor combinations. They described themselves as best friends whose talents and skills complement each other in the best possible way. For her part, Waibel said she loves Atnip’s ingenuity in finding new flavor combinations to try.

“She is constantly googling things and saying ‘Mom, we should try this!” Waibel said, laughing.

Together, they browse supermarket aisles looking for inspiration. Their most recent addition to Becky Bakes’ regular cupcake options is a Biscoff-inspired confection. Perfect for butter cookie lovers, the cupcake has a creamy speculoos filling and is topped by a swirl of Biscoff-flavored frosting.

Other family members are also happy to weigh in.

“We can’t eat everything we make – we’d weigh 400 pounds!” Waibel said. “We have a lot of people who are our taste testers who try stuff and give us their feedback.”

When it comes to day-to-day operations, the pair have their duties down to a science. Waibel handles the technical aspects of recipe creation and baking. Atnip takes charge of social media and marketing, and also contributes to creating and decorating. The two generally tag-team their duties on baking days: Waibel might mix and frost a cake while Atnip fills and decorates it.

“It’s a good rhythm we have,” Atnip said.

Waibel and Atnip said that they anticipate the return of celebrations once the COVID-19 crisis has passed. Their hope is to be the first choice for retirement parties, graduations, weddings, and more – and to continue making holidays and random weekends extra special with pop-up treat sales.

Their motivation, besides the fun of creation, is the happiness they see on their customers’ faces.

“Our customers are just super supportive and excited to see the new things we come up with,” Atnip said.