The Scoop: First Stop Bake Shop serves up pastries in Rosewood Heights

{Raspberry-swirl cheesecake}

Illinois residents in the Riverbend area have a new place to pick up pastries. First Stop Bake Shop opened in late January at 611 East Airline Drive in Rosewood Heights, a small community just east of Alton, Illinois. A venture by pastry chef Michael Jenniches and his wife Mary Jenniches, First Stop specializes in French pastries and breakfast baked goods.

Morning bites at First Stop include bagels, croissants, scones, muffins and danish. All of the baked goods are made from scratch, with flavors and fillings that change daily. “There is no menu,” said Michael Jenniches. “I come in every morning and make what I feel like.” Prior to venturing on his own, Jenniches, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, worked as a pastry chef at the Ritz Carltons in St. Louis and San Francisco, Four Seasons Hotel-Newport Beach and, most recently, at Meadowbrook Country Club in Ballwin.

{Frangipane stack}

Desserts range from mini treats like red velvet or almond-chocolate-raspberry cake pops to by-the-slice frangipane stacks, gooey butter cake and fudge brownies to whole cheesecakes, tarts and fruit rolls. Jenniches also bakes fresh dinner rolls and loaf breads.

Jenniches said he has fielded numerous requests from locals with fond memories of another area bakery – the defunct Mrs. Siebold’s Bake Shop. He has appeased their cravings for long-lost Mrs. Siebold’s treats like a strawberry roll, cream puffs and sugar cookies decorated with a smiley face.

While many customers grab their goodies and go, the tiny 750-square-foot bakery offers seating for those who want to eat in. Coffee and tea are also available. First Stop Bake Shop is open Tuesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Editor’s Note: This post originally misspelled Michael Jenniches’ name. It has been updated with the correct information.  

This article appears in Guide to Beer 2015.