Crescent Bakery and Café

Record Patriot

What a Mother’s Day!  On that day the new owners of the Crescent Bakery and Café, Bob and Fran Korten, made the final trip of their move from Lexington, KY to their home on Crystal Lake’s South Shore Drive.  With cats meowing and dogs barking, it was quite a journey.  Stop in and ask Fran.  One month earlier they had purchased the Crescent Bakery from Linda and Jason Golan. 

A gathering place in town for years, the bakery is the place to go for morning coffee with friends; then return for a lunch of pizza, quiche, or a gourmet sandwich and tasty, freshly prepared soup, enjoyed at the counter or to-go; then end your afternoon with a cookie and coffee treat.  Bob and Fran have already shown that the traditions remain in place, and some older traditions have been restored.  Stop in and look up.  The tin ceiling has been beautifully restored.  At any given time, the wall shelves display about one-third of Fran’s collection of houses, cookie jars, and lighthouses.  Bob jokes that they had to find a business to buy in order to display Fran’s collection.  Bob and Fran continue to operate the bakery knowing its beloved place within the local and seasonal communities.

Bob was born in Grand Rapids, graduating from Ottawa Hills High School and Kalamazoo College.  He first visited Frankfort in 1955 and has been a summer visitor ever since. Bob is the baker and business manager of the operation. He possesses 24 years of experience in the food service industry. His background includes Director of Food and Nutrition Services at both Hackley Hospital in Muskegon and Saginaw Community Hospital.  During the late 1970s he and Fran operated a successful side catering company in the Chicago area. In the 1980’s he worked on the design and marketing of a food service management program in cooperation with Gordon Food Service.  Most recently he headed Information Systems for the Cardinal Hill Healthcare System of  Lexington, KY.  He designed and wrote the software used by Cardinal Hill.

Fran was born in Parma, OH, graduating from Cleveland State University and attending Ohio State University’s Dietetics program.  Fran has 25 years of experience as a Clinical Dietitian in geriatrics, diabetes education, and oncology as well as additional experience in catering.  Fran is the friendly person greeting you in the bakery.   If you wish to know more about the displays, the pastries, or dogs and cats, (she was a foster care mom / volunteer with the Lexington Humane Society.) Please stop in and talk to her!

Located on Main Street, within feet of the harbor and several marinas; and only four blocks from the beach, the bakery occupies prime real estate and was originally built in 1907.  Bob and Fran have not only renovated the bakery; they also have renovated the upstairs apartment.  This newly remodeled , pet friendly, and fully furnished rental unit features two bathrooms, three plus bedroom and sleeps 8 to 10. The unit offers outstanding views of Betsie Bay and Lake Michigan for both people and their pets.  Please see Bob for rental details.

Bob and Fran plan to continue all of delicious products that have been available from the full-line artisan bakery café.  The bakery’s menu features hand crafted doughnuts, hearth-baked European-style breads, made from scratch pastries, and other gourmet baked goods.  Traditional bakery items such as our various crusty breads, scones, muffins, cookies, cakes, pies, coffeecakes and hand cut doughnuts are featured in an inviting and comfortable café setting. We make your favorite specialty beverages including whole fruit smoothies and Leelanau Roaster’s Arabica coffees.  Our full breakfast and sandwich menu builds upon our reputation as culinary professionals. Menu items include quiche, homemade soups and stews, specialty sandwiches, grilled pannini, and granola.  What makes the Bakery unique is our strong commitment to producing our products from scratch and by hand with as many locally sourced ingredients as possible.  We focus on hearth-baked European-style breads.  We serve a discerning customer-base, with many customers saving themselves the hassle of a previously longer trip for what were ultimately lower quality products.  We are deeply committed to both natural and locally produced ingredients in our products; whenever possible.

For most of the year the bakery is open Wednesday through Saturday from 7 am to 4 pm and Sunday from 7 am to 2 pm.  During the summer season the bakery is open seven days per week from 7 am until 6 pm. 

Fran and Bob operate their business organized around the principles of a God granted purposeful life.  Our foundations are truth, service, honesty, community service, and short and long term profitability.  We seek to provide a caring dynamic workplace, remarkable customer service, and a world class product line, while always remaining true to our values.

On 1/13/2009, Bob and Fran announced the addition of their daughter, Heather Kiplinger, to the bakery's staff. Heather will be filling the role of Pastry Chef; providing her expertise in Cake Decorating. Crescent Bakery now offers a full selection of custom made decorated cakes for celebrating your special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries.

Heather's husband Adreon also joins the bakery staff working in both the production and retail areas of the business. Prior to joining the bakery, Heather and Adreon lived in Lexington, KY where she owned and operated Little Details, an artisan company sepcializing in decorated cakes and handmade greeting cards and picture frames. They also owned Home Enhancements, specializing in the construction and remodeling of decks, fences, porches, windows, and bathrooms.

Please stop in and say hi, so that we can get to know you!