Our daily bread, Local couple takes leap of faith, opens bakery

KRISTEN SEINE /For the Frontiersman

Webster's defines providential as "happening as if through divine intervention." So perhaps it was providential that Gary Young borrowed a friend's bread-making machine 15 years ago. And broke it.

"After that," the Wasilla man said, "I decided to learn to make bread by hand. I became intrigued with making bread, trying to determine what it is that makes consistently good bread."

His customers might say he found it.

Gary Young and his wife, Donna, recently opened North Star Bakery, along the Palmer-Wasilla Highway in Wasilla. You might say it's a leap of faith.

"You do sacrifice," said Gary, who for years had a nice stable job - and stable paycheck - with Spenard Builders Supply. "You give up the security of working for someone else, the medical care, all that. You give up a lot of your life."

He added, "You also sacrifice sleep!"

Gary is usually up by 2:30 in the morning, so he can be at the bakery by 3 a.m. to begin preparing dough and other items. He usually works 12- to 16-hour days. It's to be expected, somewhat, when opening a new business. But in this day and age, when the low-carb Atkins diet is all the rage, opening a bakery takes a lot of confidence.

"You know, that didn't really deter us," said Donna Young, co-owner. "The thought crossed my mind, but I have a lot of background in the field of nutrition. I think the trend is moving away from that extreme (low carbohydrate diet) and going back toward more sensible balance."

Becky Moore, a customer who also happens to be a registered dietitian, agrees. Besides, she appreciates that the Youngs use a lot of whole grains, which are very healthy. Plus, she said, "When you eat a small amount of very high-quality bread, you don't have to eat a lot of it to get a good flavor Š you don't have to eat a lot to be satisfied."

Donna noted that "Most baked goods, even in grocery store bakeries, use trans fats, which are the worst kind for you. At our bakery, we use no shortening, no margarine. We use butter and olive oil (occasionally canola oil). Everything is made fresh and from scratch."

But the place is not all about health food, she said. "We do have high-calorie items, like croissants. They're smaller, though, than what you'll see in a lot of places. But you know, it's OK to have a little indulgence sometimes because it is a little indulgence."

Speaking of indulgences Š the Youngs have hired a pastry chef, Ania Hintz, who was schooled at the Cordon Bleu in Canada.

"She is an artist," Donna said. "Pastries, desserts... She makes a variety of cakes like chocolate truffle, black forest, raspberry cream, carrot cake; she does éclairs, cream puffs, frangipani (almond flavored) tarts. She grew up in Hawaii, so she uses a lot of macadamia nuts."

The bakery offers more than sweets. Gary said they have a full line of espresso and coffees, with beans from the Coffee Roastery in Wasilla. They also do custom-order wedding cakes. And their real specialty is panini, "a grilled sandwich done on Italian bread. It's one of our most popular items; it goes like crazy."

Items are selling so well, as a matter of fact, that the Youngs are planning to expand their kitchen soon. "We had no idea we were going to be so busy," Donna said. "Of course, it's a nice problem to have."

One might even call it a blessing. And the reason might be all in the name.

"Just couldn't figure out a name" for the bakery," Donna said. "Then, one day a friend said, 'Why don't you call it North Star, because Saint Herman is called the North Star of the Church.'"

Donna said the Youngs have long felt a special connection with Saint Herman of Alaska. They attend St. Herman's Orthodox Church in Wasilla, named after the Russian monk who came to Alaska in the 1700s. Donna said, "He came here from Russia and spent the rest of his life caring for the Native people. His special emphasis was caring for orphaned children. He not only took care of spiritual needs but physical needs. He was known for making cookies for children."

The Youngs are saving space on the main wall of the shop for an icon of the saint. And every December 13th, on St. Herman's feast day, "we plan to give away free cookies to children,"

she said.