Three Ducks fits the bill to fill Howard Commons vacancy

Matthew Day

Staff

April 7, 2025

HOWARD – Even in childhood, Tara Steinhorst said she took to baking like a duck to water. 

“I’ve baked ever since I was a little girl with my grandma,” she said, “and always just had a passion for baking and learning new recipes.” 

Now, with her forthcoming venture – Three Ducks Bagel and Bread Company – Steinhorst said she’ll be able to share her fresh-baked goods in the Village of Howard’s Howard Commons Activity Complex. 

She said Three Ducks will also sell locally roasted coffee. 

According to the village board’s recent meeting agenda, Steinhorst’s lease application was approved for what had been the activity complex’s sole vacant space. 

“We’ve waited for the right kind of user,” Howard Village Administrator Paul Evert said. “I think the village board and the residents in that area really wanted something that was a food option.” 

Steinhorst said she’s honored by the opportunity, particularly as this is her first time owning such a business. 

“I know that space has been open for a very long time, and I feel like Howard does not have a bagel shop per se in the area,” she said. “So, I felt like I could bring my uniqueness to the Village of Howard, and also bring some great homemade items to the people around the area.” 

Freshly baked/brewed plans 

Foremost, Steinhorst said she will focus on providing bagels, homemade breads and locally sourced cream cheese at Three Ducks, “and then I would like to incorporate homemade cinnamon rolls and (more) stuff as we go.” 

For bagels, she said she wants “to be a little bit different from your normal (shop).” 

“I plan to have all of your original flavors – like plain, egg, strawberry, blueberry – but then I also want to be over the top,” she said. “I’m planning to do like an Oreo overload bagel. I want to do a s’mores bagel. I also want to do a birthday cake celebration bagel with birthday cake cream cheese. So, I also want to incorporate some fun, different flavors on top of the regulars.” 

Sourdough bread will be another specialty at the shop, Steinhorst said, including blueberry-lemon and jalapeno-cheddar varieties. 

“I also plan on making a regular white bread and French bread, and a couple of dessert breads as well,” she said. 

Cookies will be another Three Ducks specialty, Steinhorst said, having perfected her recipe over the past two years. 

“My cookies have kind of been going around the school that I work for, and everyone is… trying to get my recipe, but they’re not going to,” she laughed. 

To accompany her baked goods, Steinhorst said she’ll also brew fresh coffee. 

“I’m going to be working with Village Roasters in Ashwaubenon,” she said. “They do all of their bean roasting in-house, so they’re going to be providing the coffee to me, and then I will brew it all in store.” 

Steinhorst said she hopes the bakery/coffee shop – featuring plenty of natural light from its floor-to-ceiling windows – will foster a welcoming atmosphere for enjoying menu items, gathering or working on laptops. 

She and Evert both said the unit is considerably spacious. 

“We’ve never had a tenant in there – it’s not built out at all,” Evert said. “It’s just like a gray box right now, so whoever (was going to) build there first, there’s a lot to do to get that space open.” 

They also said with Steinhorst being its first tenant, she’s faced with maximal state permits to attain. 

“When it’s commercial (space), the state inspector has to sign off on your building permit,” Evert said, “so you need a state-level permit, which takes a little bit longer.” 

Though Steinhorst said she has gotten her own proverbial ducks in a row, waiting on the permits is beyond her control, and has been the hardest part of the process. 

“I just have to go with the flow of it, and I have to trust that the timing of everything will work out the way it’s supposed to work out,” she said. “But I think the biggest challenge for me is to be patient… because you want something to be so great, and you just kind of have to take it day by day and step by step.” 

Tragic inspiration 

Though Steinhorst said she is taking a real chance on Three Ducks, and “as scary as it can be, I’m so very excited for it.” 

Her unique mindset, she said, is one hewn by heartbreak. 

Three Ducks’ seemingly whimsical name, Steinhorst said, is both a nod to a local waterway and a tribute to her late son. 

“Obviously, in Howard, Wisconsin, there’s Duck Creek, which runs through the whole Village of Howard, so I wanted to incorporate ‘ducks’ in it,” she said. “And then we have three living children – we have four children total – one passed away from childhood cancer. So, we decided to incorporate ‘three.’” 

Her son, Steinhorst said, “was the reason why I love baking so much.”  

While he was an oncology patient, she said they made a tradition of delivering cupcakes to the other patients. 

“Even if the child couldn’t eat a cupcake, it would still bring a smile to their face… they would all be so excited to receive them,” she said. “That’s kind of how I fell in love with baking even more… You can bring so much joy to somebody’s face by just giving them something homemade.”  

Steinhorst said she’s forever grateful to her son for his lasting influence on the family, crediting him with the lesson of following one’s passion. 

“My family’s outlook on life might be a little bit different than everybody else’s,” she said, “but you never know when something is going to change in your life and in your family, so you’ve really just got to go for it and live to the fullest.” 

After having been a stay-at-home mom during her son’s battle, Steinhorst said she was able to apply this outlook as she pursued and completed degrees in culinary baking and culinary management. 

She said she then took a position as a supervisor at a local high school, “but this (opportunity) opened up and kind of fell in my lap to open my own bagel shop, and everything has kind of fallen into place in a way that I could only imagine it to.”  

“I’m taking a leap of faith, and I’m really doing something that I’m passionate about,” she said. “I’m hoping to be able to provide joy and smiles to all the people that come in.” 

Spreading wings, happiness 

Steinhorst said she is eager for Three Ducks to open this summer, perhaps as soon as mid-June. 

“I’m trying to push everything as fast as I can,” she said. “I would like to be open, at the latest, the beginning of July.” 

The shop will be open daily from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., though Steinhorst said she plans to selectively extend her hours in conjunction with Howard Commons events. 

Evert said Three Ducks “is going to be a really good fit” at the activity complex, and will provide meaningful amenities to visitors. 

“One of the things that we hear from people, if there isn’t food (at Howard Commons), then when they’re coming to ice skate, their kids get hungry, and then they have to go out elsewhere,” he said. “And then, it’s kind of hard to turn the van around and get everybody back ice skating or playing in the splash pad.” 

Whether her patrons are event attendees, parents, professionals or whomever else, Steinhorst said she’s excited for people to “come in and try what freshness tastes like.” 

“I’m hoping that Three Ducks becomes one of the places for the Village of Howard and surrounding areas where people want to just come and enjoy fresh, homemade bagels and breads and sweets,” she said. “I’m hoping to incorporate other things as we grow – and really great coffee. I’m excited to meet all the people that are in the surrounding neighborhoods. I hope they love it so much that they spread the word, and we’re kind of known in the area for our bagels, etc.” 

Steinhorst said her family shares her excitement, as “they know that this has been a dream of mine for a very, very long time.” 

Evert said he and the village board hope this shop-to-be allows that dream to flourish. 

“We hope she’s there as long as she wants to be, and she’s successful,” he said.