above: Owner, Daina Olesen
Latvian rolls, Swedish Princess cakes and flaky croissants are the talk of the town
After more than 20 years as a leader in growth strategy and business transformation, Greenwich resident Daina Olesen turned her passion for baking into Birch Bakehouse—a Northern European-influenced small batch bakery and café she recently opened in Old Greenwich.
And she’s got plenty of plans in the works. Through December, Daina, her pastry chef and CIA graduate, Mackenzi Shaffer, and bakers are hosting parties and classes in the shop’s event space, catering parties and taking special orders for Swedish Princess Cakes and French Bûches de Noël. Her team has also stocked the pantry section of the shop with edible gifts. The bread baker is making sourdough loaves, French baguettes, challah, Baltic rye with a fermented tang and Danish seeded bread for open-faced sandwiches. The bakery has also increased its gluten-free selection. Along with the popular brownies, cookies, pistachio loaves and banana breads, there are gluten-free quiches and tarts.
The aroma of Caffe Vita Roasting Company’s coffee draws in many customers. Daina and her husband tasted their way through New York City coffees before concurring that Caffe Vita’s smooth espresso and drip coffee was the one they wanted to serve. Caffe Vita roasts the beans in Brooklyn, and the team there trained Birch’s staff on how to pull espressos and create classic and specialty caffeinated drinks.
Of the pastries, croissants and pains au chocolat are the most popular. To create Birch’s version of an almond croissant, Daina was inspired by a Latvian roll filled with almond paste and poppy seeds. “People may be shy, but when they taste it, they love it,” she says, “I call it our unsung hero.”
Daina’s love of Northern European baking came through her family and travel. Her parents were born in Latvia but settled in Ohio, where she was raised. During visits to Latvia and Scandinavia, she reveled in the pastries and cakes. “I loved the food and the seasonality. I loved the fact that baked goods weren’t as sugary sweet like a traditional American cake. I wanted to bring that to Old Greenwich,” she says.
After marrying and having children, while balancing her corporate career, Daina hired au pairs to help at home, and many from Sweden. To celebrate an au pair’s birthday and help ease homesickness, she baked a Swedish Princess Cake. It became a tradition in their family and is now on Birch’s menu.
The confection is a lovely sight on the table—traditionally a pale green dome of marzipan topped with a pink rose. But Birch’s bakers can make the marzipan any color for the holidays and top it with a stenciled snowflake. Inside is a light, delicate assembly of whipped cream, vanilla sponge cake, custard and raspberry jam.
Cardamom buns are another favorite. Bakers create a rich, buttery yeast dough and spread it with pulverized green cardamom seeds, sugar and butter, before cutting, twisting and weaving the dough into light bundles, and then baking them until golden brown. The cardamom has a beguiling spicy, floral flavor, and the bun is
rich, soft and fluffy—and not too sweet.
Moving into the new year, Daina will explore online sales as well as selling wholesale to retailers and restaurants. Birch also recently baked its first wedding cake. “It was a couple who love our carrot cake,” she says. “They were so happy, and it was a wonderful experience.
Birch Bakehouse
214 Sound Beach Ave, Old Greenwich
birchbakehouse.com
In December, Birch will host a party for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The team will also host two public events: a cookie decorating class and a class that combines floral arrangements and decorating cakes with flowers. Check the website for details.