Jennifer Strecker’s house must smell exceptionally delicious. The Kenai resident is baking about six pans of cinnamon rolls a day. On top of that, she’s cranking out 100 pretzels daily.
It’s all for her new business, This is How We Roll, a one-woman bake shop Strecker has been running out of her house for the last six weeks. She does her baking made to order and delivers to Kenai and Soldotna.
Strecker said she’s been baking for fun for a long time.
“And I’ve had a lot of people who were like, ‘Hey, will you bake them for me? I’ll pay,'" she said. "So eventually I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll just see where a business will go,’ and it really has just taken off, honestly. I was not expecting it to be so crazy at first, but it’s been really awesome.”
Cinnamon rolls take the most time, she said. Pretzels are her favorite to make.
“There’s a lot of steps to it and the end product, to me, looks really pretty," she said. "It’s almost like a work of art.”
She also sells beignets and muffins. Prices range from $12 for a batch of seven beignets to $15 for seven rolls or pretzels.
Since Strecker’s the only one baking, she has a maximum of how much she’ll do a day. She often hits that limit the night before. But she hasn’t thought of hiring another employee just yet.
“I think as the business grows, I would definitely explore the option of hiring help," she said. "Right now, I get up before my kids, so it's my time and I enjoy that alone time to just sit and bake in the quiet. But in the future, I might explore the possibility of an employee just so I can expand how much I can offer a day.”
Moose is Loose, a popular bakery in Soldotna, closed a year ago. Strecker said she created her business in part to fill the gap left by its closure — though she’s not yet offering donuts, which was the bakery’s specialty.
When she’s not baking, Strecker works part-time as a receptionist at Peninsula Pediatric Dentistry.
She’s also a mom. Working home gives her more time with her 8-year-old and a 3-year-old.
“I think right now my kids are pretty young, so I think my time with them is more important than opening a store at this time," she said. "But when they’re older, it might be something I explore a little more.”
Strecker does handoffs to customers out of the house.
“Right now, I’m offering deliveries. And then if people feel more comfortable meeting at a mutual place, I do that, as well," she said. "I’ve had a lot of people who are stuck at home right now, and it’s been a great option for them to just drop it off on their doorstep.”
This is How We Roll is on Facebook, @thisishowwerollak
