Rustic Rise Cafe & Bakery catches on with customers

MANSON -- Looking back on it now, perhaps a more appropriate name for Rustic Rise Café & Bakery might have been Rustic Rise on the Run because that is much of what owner Holly Vejar has been doing since she started her bakery business just five short months ago on April 4.

Rustic Rise specializes in baked goods, especially sourdough, and delivers orders for free.

“Most of my breads except for one are sourdough,” said Vejar. 

Busy – “but loving it,” said Vejar – features orders and deliveries not only for customers in the surrounding cities but also as distant as Tacoma. After seeing and tasting her eye-catching creations, it’s no mystery to understand why. Together with the skills she picked up from her grandmother, Vejar has a talent for incorporating local ingredients into some of her delicacies.

Consider:

• Blackberry scones made with local blackberries from Lone Point Cellars in Brewster.
• Salted caramel coconut macaroons,
• Sourdough cinnamon roll focaccia.
• Mini chocolate cake donuts with blackberry glaze.

“My grammy inspired me,” said Vejar. “I grew up watching my grammy cook.”

Not only did she watch her, but she also now uses those same tools to make lefsa, one of her specialties. 

“During the holidays, we have lefsa. It’s hard to find traditional lefsa,” said Vejar. “When I make it, I use my great-great-grandmother’s lefsa iron and turning sticks.”

Vejar is a Chelan Valley native and 2005 Manson High School graduate. She and her husband, Dan, now have three teenage children, two girls, and a boy. Vejar was a credit union branch manager when her new business venture came together. 

“I started doing everything online,” said Veja. “Online orders, free delivery.”

If she needed that little push to pursue her dream, Dan, provided it while Vejar was going stir-crazy recovering from hip surgery.

“In March, my husband said, ‘Do a business,’” said Vejar. ‘This is what you love.’

Fast forward five months, and Vejar’s last day working for someone else was August 5. She has already found a location on Manson’s main drag where a storefront will later house the business and provide room for expansion. Even with that, however, she intends to continue her free deliveries,

“It helps a lot of the families,” Vejar said.

She said she was very surprised at how quickly her business took off.

“I thought this was just going to be a side gig,” Vejar said.

Word is spreading fast, reorders are increasing, and support is growing.

Vejar posed one of those cosmic questions that she soon hopes to solve: If there were a Manson muffin, what flavor would it be? Check her website at rusticrisebakery.net or Rustic Rise Café & Bakery's Facebook page to weigh in on the answer.

Mike Maltais: 360-333-8483 or michael@ward.media