By Oona Mackesey-Green
Northside News
As they approached their 8-year anniversary, Stalzy’s Deli and Bakery was forced to shut down suddenly after a fire erupted in their Atwood Avenue kitchen after hours. Fortunately, no one was injured, but while initial estimates were that they would be serving their neighborhood-favorite sandwiches again soon, co-owner (and deli namesake) Neil Stalboerger now puts that return date at sometime in late summer.
Although the storefront is closed for now, the ovens are still hot; within a week of the fire, Stalzy’s was back to rolling dough for their line of wholesale breads sold to local stores and restaurants. But instead of baking them in-house, they’re working out of FEED Kitchens.
“We knew [former FEED Kitchens manager Martee Mikalson] from before we even opened Stalzy’s, so we kind of worked together and that’s what really helped,” said Stalboerger. “We only missed a week before we could get back to sending our product out. A lot of people were happy and surprised at how quickly that happened.”
Stalzy’s has been able to continue earning revenue while the deli is closed as well as maintain their relationships with wholesale customers — and with neighborhood patrons. Their bread is available at the Jenifer Street Market, the Monona Farmers Market and now at the Northside Farmers Market, where you can find loaves of their rye, wheat, sourdough and white bread, as well as various buns, challah and baguettes at the Fischer Family Farm stall.
The shared kitchen space is a shift for Stalboerger. “Baking can be tricky when you’re in a different place, with different equipment, different humidity — when you do something day in and day out for years, and then you have to make the same product in a different environment.”
FEED Kitchens Manager Chris Brockel appreciated Stalzy’s flexibility during the quick transition. “They were more than willing to work around the schedules that were already going on here, and the needs of our other members.”
The change has been positive, too, Stalboerger said. Since the fire, Stalboerger has spent more time out in front, answering questions and solidifying the partnerships that have kept the business operating. “A lot of people have reached out about doing different fundraisers and pop-ups, and shared their support,” said Stalboerger. Those events are still in the organizational stages, and they’re working on problem solving to be able to offer some customer favorites despite the constraints.
“I always called the bakery my office,” said Stalboerger. “Now that I’m out of my office, out from behind the wall, I’m finding out that everyone has a different favorite this or that. It makes me think alright, we were doing some things right.
We’ll be back. I don’t know when, it’ll be at least a few months, and there’s a lot of work to do between here and there, but we’ll definitely be back.”