Guest blogger Jessica Henry McClements / Photo from Rauch’s Bakery Facebook page

On a Sunday morning, when I was a small girl, we had a party after church.

They served coffee and tea and an assortment of breakfast treats that all the parishioners had brought to share. There is one thing I clearly remember about that day: a big platter in the middle of the table containing the sweetest treats I had ever had. They were filled with fruits in the center: cherry, blueberry, apple and poppy seed paste.  The fillings were encased in a cinnamon flavored bun and then covered in a sticky sweet glaze. Sometimes I wonder who brought that platter of danish to church because I would like to thank them. They started a lifelong obsession with Rauch’s Bakery.

This was my introduction to Rauch’s Bakery and their signature danish.

This was when I fell in love with Rauch’s many years ago.

Now, whenever I am near Washington Street, I am tempted to stop in and grab a sweet danish treat. My favorites are the poppy seed and the cherry filled but, let’s face it, I will happily eat any of them. Nothing much has changed about the place in all the years it has been there. Turnovers, cookies, rolls, seasonal delights and more sit on big orange trays in their glass cases. Big racks of bread are stacked against the walls. The smell of baking bread permeates everything as you walk through the door, a smell so overwhelmingly good you can almost taste it. A trip to Rauch’s is an exercise in self-control – try NOT to fill up several bags with a sampling of all of their offerings. I always try (and sometime succeed) to buy just two Danishes, a half-moon cookie for each of my family members, and maybe a loaf of pumpernickel or marble rye bread.

There are no longer many places where you can purchase fresh bread. Picking up these items in a grocery store just isn’t the same. So few of us have the opportunity to experience places like Rauch’s – an old-school neighborhood bakery run by talented and dedicated people. As a busy mom and small business owner, I am grateful that I can treat my family and friends with the sweet treasures I find on those orange trays (and not have to bake myself).

We are blessed to have a place like Rauch’s right in downtown Gloversville.