Around Talkeetna, #2; The Flying Squirrel Bakery & Cafe.

It was Spring (or Breakup, as we Alaskans call it), years ago, when we bought our home in Talkeetna. When the lower 48 has seeds sprouting and grass growing, we have mud. Lots and lots of mud. Breakup is when all the Winter’s snow melts and our dirt roads turn into soup. My home lies behind nine miles of dirt road, and that year Breakup was particularly harsh. I found myself the owner of a property I could not get to, so the children and I stayed at a hotel in Anchorage for two weeks, while John finished up our affairs on The Island. We moved up here from Ketchikan, AK, a small city on a big island with only 25 miles of road. We had lived on The Island for three and a half years, and that was plenty of time to forget what real roads and real distances are like. Despite the fact that our property was going to be inaccessible for another two weeks, I decided to drive up to Talkeetna to help with the annual playground cleanup and maybe meet some people from the community near my new home. After three years in Ketchikan, that 100 mile drive seemed like Phileas Fogg’s journey around the world, and it felt like it took me 80 days to do it too! Weary from that drive, I was overjoyed to see a large sign advertising a cafe along the Talkeetna Spur road. I pulled in. Little did I know that this bright, inviting bakery would grow to be one of my favorite places, not just in Talkeetna, but anywhere, in the years to come.

The Flying Squirrel Bakery & Cafe ‘s most eye-catching feature is their enormous, wood-fired oven.

In their glass case, you will find cookies, pastries and the best rugelach West of the Rocky Mountains.

The breads are baked fresh daily on a rotating schedule, so you can have a different fresh bread each day of the week. My favorite is the Herb & Olive Fougasse, which they bake on Thursdays in Summer and if we are lucky, some times on Saturdays in Winter. They have gluten free options for bread! Their every day menu features sandwiches, quiches, soups, espresso drinks, tea (both by the cup and by the pot, which is awesome for a large family like mine), and beer and wine! The Squirrel also has wood-fired pizza nights. Every week, there are two special pizzas in addition to their regular pizza menu. This past weekend, we enjoyed their Superbowl special pizzas (Nacho pizza and Buffalo pizza).

I am not a huge fan of pizza, owing to the fact that I worked at a pizza restaurant when I was a young student, and took advantage of their “one free meal per shift” policy, and thus have eaten enough pizza to last me three lifetimes, but every week I check the Flying Squirrel’s pizza specials, because they are always different and exciting!

All of the above is certainly enough to make the Flying Squirrel a special and unique place…

The Flying Squirrel features fresh, local, Talkeetna Grown produce from the Birch Creek Ranch, which is just up the road from my house! Not only is a lot of the produce from their menu items local, they also sell Talkeetna Grown produce at the bakery, and preserves made from local produce.

I’m still not done, folks! From time to time, the Squirrel has special dinners and wine tastings. John and I attended last year’s Valentine’s Day dinner and wine tasting, which had a cupcake theme. It was fantastic!

My favorite special event at the Squirrel is the “Creepy Treats” cooking class for children around Halloween. It is one of our family traditions.

I’m sure it’s plain to see why this is one of my favorite spots in Talkeetna. If you visit our little village, you really should try something from the Squirrel. And if you come by bicycle, dogsled, walking or on horseback, they have a discount for customers who arrive by non-motorized transportation!