The (Almost) Perfect Kolachki has been Found!

If you have been reading from the beginning, you would know I have been on a quest for the perfect kolachki.  I remember a huge tray my Croatian grandmother bought every Easter and Christmas from a bakery somewhere in the Vine Street area on the eastside of Cleveland.  She has passed and my brother and I are sure the baker is no longer in business.  I went out in search of a kolachki that was as similar in taste and appearance as I could find.

I am forever grateful to Officer Whitehair for finding the perfect tasting kolachkis that were sitting right under my nose since May.  (I am also eternally grateful for his friendship, advice, and guidance, but that is a little overkill for a post about the (almost) perfect kolachki.)
And the honor goes to...Drum roll please....Baker Rhea.  http://www.bakerrhea.com/  (She spells it Kolacky.)

This summer I belonged to a CSA, Community Share Agriculture.  Every Saturday I drove to the Frostville Museum Farmer's Market in North Olmsted to pick up my share of fruits and veggies for the week.  http://www.olmstedhistoricalsociety.org/Farmers_Market.html  I would pass other vendors and sometimes purchase a new loose leaf tea or can of pickles to try.  One weekend this summer the family and I went to visit my in-laws and I could not make it to pick up our crop share.  Officer Whitehair graciously agreed to pick up my fruits and veggies.

A few days later, I stopped in to see Officer Whitehair and pick up my veggies.  He hands me a second bag that contains a small tin pie pan.  I look at it and it contains a batch of small kolachkis.  He told me that he saw them at one of the stands and he thinks I should try them.  At first I was skeptical.  They are smaller than the perfect kolachkis that are burned into my memory.  The pastry also appeared darker in color.  But then I tasted them.  They are near perfect!  Every filling is delicious, not too sweet.  The pastry is crispy as opposed to doughy and not too flaky.  I love them.  I ate the entire pie pan before I pulled the car in the garage.  I have since bought several batches of kolachkis from her.  She even made an all nut kolachki pie tin, my favorite.  My brother approves of Baker Rhea's kolachkis as well.  I hate to admit this, but since the CSA is now over, I purchased a few tins and put them in the freezer for when a kolachki craving attacks.

Because of this wonderful find, I decided to venture to another stand with baked goods, Two Chicks that Bake.  They bake out of their Grafton, Ohio home and sell only at Farmer's Markets.  Currently, Two Chicks that Bake do not have a website or Facebook page.  They make cookies, bars, and scones (so no kolachki competition here).  I am absolutely in love with their bakery.  They use ingredients that are available during the season.  For example, early in the growing season, they made blueberry lemon scones, which were out of this world.  Last week I purchased pumpkin drop cookies, a pecan bar, a pumpkin scone, and an apple cinnamon scone.  I cannot wait to go back this weekend to get more for the freezer.  Dudo and I like to share a scone for breakfast one day a week.  I HIGHLY recommend their scones and cookies.

This is what I like about Cleveland.  Small local bakers that sell at Farmer's Markets are surpassing the bigger competition.  When you find something you love, you hang on to it.  Well, Baker Rhea and Two Chicks that Bake, I intend to hang on to you.

Life really is too short to hate Cleveland.

I have thought of starting a blog for quite some time.  Why?  Two reasons: 1) infuriating print media and 2) kolachkis.  Don't worry, I will explain.

First, I am not a fan of the print media here in Cleveland.  I find it one-sided, biased, and usually wrong.  That's right, I believe all the fact checkers were the first to be laid off when the economy fell in the downward spiral.  Several months ago, for no good apparent reason, I was called out by name in an article regarding my job.  (I guess now is as good as time as any to let you know that my alleged full-time job here in Cleveland is attorney.  Really, it's being a mom though.)  For some reason, all the media negativity has continued to trickle down to those who post on the internet.  I used to read everyday how horrible Cleveland is and what a terrible waste of space it is and we should bulldoze the entire place...etc, etc, etc.  I cancelled my subscriptions, stopped reading blog posts, and refused to watch the news.  I've been much happier.  So, instead of having everyone cut off the internet to avoid Cleveland haters, I thought why shouldn't I create my own space to show those who care how cool Cleveland really is.

The second reason is Kolachkis.  For those of you who do not know, it is a pastry type cookie that my Grandma used to purchase from one particular Croatian bakery for Easter.  It is Holy Week this week to those who are Christians, such as myself, and I wanted to track down some kolachkis to bring to Easter dinner on Sunday.  I am having a hard time finding "Cleveland's best kolachkis" on the internet.  Then I came across another blog who posted a recipe for making your own kolachkis.  I go all over this City, east, west, and south for food, fun, work, and entertainment.  For example, I will probably try out 3-4 bakeries throughout Cleveland this week in search of my favorite kolachki.  I thought it was about time I shared my crazy expeditions for anyone who would like to read about them.

Life is too short to hate on Cleveland.  My wonderful mother died of cancer when I was 20 years old.  She was a life long Clevelander.  My grandmothers were as well.  I loved their traditions and stories of Cleveland past and I try to keep them alive as much as possible.  I want to share my loves and excitements to in turn, help others stop hating on Cleveland.