The Omaha Bakery is the king of keto, not only in the Omaha-Council Bluffs metro area, but perhaps in the entire Midwest. “I cannot think of a Kansas City- or Des Moines-area bakery that has more keto menu items than we do,” said Michelle Kaiser, the award-winning owner of The Omaha Bakery that’s located just north of the Nebraska Furniture Mart on 72nd Street.
Omaha Bakery Launches KETO Bakery Line in Summer of 2018
The Omaha Bakery, which began selling keto products on July 9, 2018, has as many as 40 keto delicacies available, depending on the day. Michelle said: “When someone asks, ‘Do you have keto?’ I point to the top two shelves. It’s so novel to have more than one keto product. After we got going, we said, ‘Let’s work up to 40.’ People want more keto items, not just one or two. Not only are we a keto bakery, but we have keto offerings such as lasagna and chili. We now have a keto meal for four that is prepared and ready to go. I like the idea of being all-in on the keto investment, but we also make sure there’s something for everyone. So, we still have our old favorites.”
There’s no doubt The Omaha Bakery is a KETO mecca and go-to KETO resource. “The Omaha Bakery is totally committed to keto for the long haul. They have continued to make changes, listen to customers, add items, expand their menu, change recipes – just about anything you can imagine – to keep up with the burgeoning keto demand. Michelle, a new keto-specialty assistant, and other staff have responded to the keto options people want,” said Joe Kenney, Omaha-President of 316 Strategy Group, a nationally recognized business consultant.
Omaha Bakery Partners With Dr. Jamie Seeman
The Omaha Bakery has forged a strong relationship with Dr. Jamie Seeman, a board-certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist with a background in Nutrition, Exercise and Health Science. She is also a current Fellow in Integrative Medicine. Dr. Seeman and The Omaha Bakery started hosting monthly KETO classes. Michelle Said: “I’m sure many saw the irony in KETO classes being hosted at a world-class bakery. Why not? Right? It was a way for us to begin educating the community on what KETO was and it laid the foundation for our expanded KETO line. It just made perfect sense.” Dr. Jamie has since become a social media influencer on the topic of KETO and has tens of thousands of followers on Instagram and Facebook. “You won’t find a more knowledgeable, personable and passionate person than Dr. Jamie. She’s helped me so much personally.” Michelle said, referring to her personal weight loss journey.
What Is KETO?
So, what is keto? “Ketogenic” is a term for a low-carbohydrate diet. The idea is to get more calories from protein and fat, and less from carbohydrates. There is a concerted effort to cut back on easily digested carbs, such as sugar, soda, pastries, and white bread. The Omaha Bakery makes keto selections that taste just as good as its other offerings.
Michelle said: “Keto, which made its initial big splash in 2017, is not a fad that likely will die off soon. Keto is a nationwide movement, and doctors are beginning to recommend it. It is important to mention that some people cannot eat keto. It is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ situation. People must take in information about keto and discuss it with their doctors or dieticians. More than weight loss or feeling better, some people have said keto may help with Crohn’s disease and possibly epilepsy, but it is imperative to talk to your doctor. It helped me lose 100 pounds and restore my health.”
Michelle and The Omaha Bakery started with one, two and three items and slowly worked up. “Joe Kenney suggested a keto dessert, and I made a pumpkin bar the first thing. Joe and I tested other keto desserts such as mocha bars, cheesecake and others. Honesty was key. Joe would tell me when something didn’t taste good enough. You must stand the criticism, and Joe promised me transparency. It benefited me,” Michelle said, referring to her early “research and development” department for keto.
“We’ve had a significant increase in sales since opening three years ago. It’s not just keto, but it also includes the sales of our extreme cakes but Keto items have added to our bottom line revenue,” she said.
She said there’s a delicate balance with customers. “Of course, we don’t want to push away our cake business, which is TOP TIER. We’re the premier cake bakery in the Omaha metro area, and with our Cake Master, Dave Barry, our cake decorating is unmatched. Our extreme cakes business also has exploded because we have a great team in place. We were honored to bake cakes for Pink, Cirque du Soleil, and other entertainers,” said Michelle, whose Omaha Bakery won another award this week, Omaha Magazine’s Best of Omaha bakeries.
Omaha Bakery Adds KETO Baker To The Team
The Omaha Bakery recently made a big move in its drive for keto success by hiring Laura Risola, who was well known for her keto offerings when she owned Down Right Delicious in Clarinda, Iowa. She closed her restaurant in May and went to work for a Des Moines-area bakery that tapped into her proven success.
Joe said: “Part of growing is making long-term investments into the keto business, which meant recruiting others who could complement what The Omaha Bakery is already doing. Laura had the experience and knowledge, and it just made financial sense to bring her to Omaha. On a personal note, Laura is also on a keto journey just like Michelle is by using keto to achieve better health. Laura and Michelle are living their keto journey very publicly for everyone to see.”
Laura said: “I am excited. Michelle gave me the freedom to test out new things and develop new product lines. I can be creative. It brings me joy.” Michelle said: “I want Laura’s creativity to come out. That will have people coming back. The menu items are special creations, like babies of ours, and we want to keep adding things.”
Laura pointed out: “At The Omaha Bakery, we make keto products you can trust. Some food-processing companies or eating places slap ‘keto’ on a product and it really isn’t. It can’t be just low carbohydrate – you need specific ingredients to make keto products. More specifically, some ingredients say they are keto, and they are not. We don’t throw away a bunch of money on ingredients that are not keto.”
Michelle and Laura have found many different forms of sugar in ingredients. Laura explained: “It is frustrating. There are 65 different forms of sugar, and manufacturers are probably developing even more. Some companies are sneaking sugars into ingredients under names you would not recognize unless you’d done the research. We’re ahead of the curve at The Omaha Bakery and have done our due diligence. You can’t get this culinary education anywhere.”
Laura added: “We’ve done extensive research, not only on the ‘keto-ness’ of ingredients but the taste. Michelle and I both struggle with eating and want real keto, but we also want food to taste amazing and spectacular. People should educate themselves and find locations for good choices. The Omaha Bakery is one, absolutely. You should be able to ask a restaurant about keto choices and not get a blank stare.”
The Cost of KETO
Laura and Michelle also pointed out keto products cost more because they are more expensive to make. For some, it is a choice between their health or their budget, but people can achieve a healthy balance. Laura said: “Keto can be more expensive, but we contend you eat less, especially if you are on a weight-reduction plan. You’re paying attention to serving sizes. In the long run, you don’t spend more on keto because you are eating less. When you switch to keto, you’ll notice a bottle of keto ketchup costs $5. When you consider medical bills, illnesses and feeling crappy, it is worth it. You don’t realize how bad you feel until a keto diet helps.”
What is the KETO future at The Omaha Bakery?
The Omaha Bakery now carries over 40 different KETO offerings every single day. They are shipping donuts and their now-famous KETO One-Da bread throughout the country. So what’s next for this quickly growing bakery? Michelle said: “We have considered dozens of ideas. Expansion of our Keto shipments, a second location or even a food truck. How do we get there? The logistics are many, but we know we will figure it out with the help of 316 Strategy Group, Pete Marinkovich at SLC Nationwide Logistics, and the rest of our team at the bakery. Joe added: Michelle, Laura, and The Omaha Bakery team are impacting thousands of people. Some customers are traveling to The Omaha Bakery from as far away as Minneapolis, Kansas City, Des Moines and elsewhere. They want to help as many people as possible. In a recent three-week KETO donut campaign on Facebook, they reached over 250K KETO devotees. The response was nothing short of incredible with thousands of messages of interest coming in. The sky is the limit for Michelle and her team.”
For more information about The Omaha Bakery or menu selections, check out the website: https://www.theomahabakery.com/ , call (402) 991-9200 or email info@theomahabakery.com. The Omaha Bakery is located at 608 South 72nd Street.
