Local bakeries mix it up in the WRAL Voters' Choice Awards
The votes are in and it is almost time to find out who the winners are in the 2022 WRAL Voters' Choice Awards presented by M&F Bank. The awards will be announced Jan. 12, 2023. This is story is part of a series focusing on the categories that got the highest numbers of votes.
The finalists for best baked goods in the 2022 WRAL Voters' Choice Awards encompass a variety of styles.
La Farm is a modern day French bakery, while Annelore’s German Bakery was inspired by traditional Munich and Viennese coffee houses and konditoreien (pastry shops). Both are located in Cary and have served the community for decades.
Carter's Baking Company opened in Wendell in March 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Stick Boy Bread Co. in Fuquay-Varina has been open since 2008.
And then there's Layered Croissanterie, which has savory and sweet croissants that are Instagram-ready!
Take a look at each of the top five finalists:
Annelore’s German Bakery (308 W. Chatham St. in Cary and at the State Farmers Market at 1149 Farmers Market Drive in Raleigh)
Norbert and Annelore Gstattenbauer started sharing their recipes as vendors at the N.C. State Farmer's Market in 2007. Ten years later, they opened Annelore's German Bakery at 308 W. Chatham St. in Cary. Good food and beverage does run in the family. Annelore Gstattenbauer’s family has owned and operated a brewery in a small village near Ulm, Germany since 1665. Eventually they expanded the business to include a restaurant and bed and breakfast. You can also find them at the State Farmers Market.
Carter's Baking Company (31 North Main Street, Wendell)
This family bakery opened at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. It didn't stop this family-owned bakery.
“We wanted to open a family business that we could run and have our children work with us," said Katie Carter, one of the owners of Carter's Baking Co.
Bill and Katie Carter's oldest daughter, Michaela, is the pastry chef at Carter's, and their other daughter, Rachel, works in the shop. Their son, Aaron, is a firefighter.
Carter's menu features cakes, hot cocoa bombs, cookies and brownies.
La Farm Bakery (4248 NW Cary Parkway, Cary)
Lionel Vatinet, along with his wife and partner Missy, realized his lifelong dream by opening La Farm Bakery in Cary in 1999. At La Farm, Vatinet produces 15 different styles of breads, and an additional 20 seasonal breads throughout the year using a European-style hearth oven. The breads benefit from a unique and lengthy 3-day process which ensures maximum development of flavor and texture.
The bakery is a multiple WRAL Voters' Choice Award winner.
The bakery has three Cary locations and even a location inside RDU-International Airport.
Layered Croissanterie (911 N. West St., Raleigh)
Layered Croissanterie is a croissant bakery that features the delicious French pastry in its many, many sweet and savory forms. A husband-and-wife team opened the shop earlier in summer 2019. When you walk into this small shop, you will immediately notice the croissants set up on the table. They are perfect for snapping that great Instagram photo before you order. These croissants are large and decadent so be ready to share with a friend!
Stick Boy Bread Co. (127 S Main St, Fuquay-Varina)
In 2008, Katie and Josh Dies opened this bakery in Fuquay-Varina. Katie had worked part-time at the original Stick Boy Bread Company in Boone in 2002 and wanted to introduce the Triangle area to the concept.
For decades, this family-owned and operated bakery has been a favorite for baked goods including fresh bread, cakes, cookies and pies.
