Local bakers create their own happily ever after with Mad Batter

Heather Graves

Staff

August 19, 2024

CAMERON – Some say you need to be as mad as a hatter to open a business – luckily, Co-owners Taylor Karpenske and Carri Traczyk of Mad Batter in Cameron said they are just mad enough.

The mother-daughter duo said they have come a long way in their baking entrepreneurship journey over the last few years.

“We started as a cottage bakery out of my daughter’s house – she and I did that together,” Traczyk said. “We did that for two years.”

The pair said the success they had as cottage bakers prompted them to take the next step and open a brick-and-mortar storefront (706 W. Main St.)..

“We were able to go through the loan process with Barron County – they helped us get our foot in the door and have been in this place in Cameron since February 2023,” Traczyk said.

Mad Batter’s expansion, however, Traczyk said didn’t stop there.

At the end of last year, Karpenske and Traczyk purchased a food trailer, and in April of this year, the Mad Batter on-the-go arm of the businesses officially started.

“We started slow to get our name out there – but so far, things are going really well with the food truck,” Traczyk said.

Not a walk in the park

The transition from cottage bakery to a brick-and-mortar bakery, Traczyk said, was a long process.

“Cottage baking is much easier than having a storefront,” she said. “People think, ‘oh, you have a storefront, you can do whatever you want.’”

Traczyk said that is not the case.

“There are so many rules and regulations,” she said. “Opening the bakery was quite the process, and we’re still learning.”

Launching the food trailer, Traczyk said, was an even bigger process.

“There are so many different types of licensing associated with a food truck – from prepacking, which is what we do, to actually cooking in your food truck and baking,” she said. “It’s been quite the process.”

The baking duo said they didn’t expect opening the bakery, and subsequently, the food trailer would be as difficult as it was.

One of those hurdles, Karpenske said, was finding a location.

“Many of the places we were looking at – they weren’t the right location,” she said. “We figured this (location) right on the main street in Cameron would be a great location, and it was turnkey.”

That aspect, Karpenske said, was definitely a plus.

“A lot of the locations we looked at were going to require us to fully restart – many of them didn’t even have an oven,” she said. “So, it would be a complete remodel and a start over. Whereas this location was turnkey and took less work to get things up and running.”

Karpenske said the Cameron location is also smack dab in the “middle of everywhere.”

“Rice Lake, Barron, Ladysmith – we are in the middle of all of it,” she said.

Baking is in their blood

Traczyk said her introduction to baking started at a very young age.

“We grew up on a farm and my mom taught us how to bake,” she said. “My dad had a sweet tooth, so mom taught us how to bake.”

Karpenske said that tradition was passed down to her by Traczyk as well.

“Her mom taught her, she taught me and I’ve been teaching my kids,” she said. “I like seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they eat one of my baked goods.”

The baking duo said the hardest part of owning and operating a bakery is the same as the best part of owning and operating a bakery – “working with each other.”

“The hardest part, and the best part, is working together,” Traczyk said. “Taylor and I both have our own opinions of how to do things, but overall, it has worked out great.”

Echoing Traczyk’s sentiments, Karpenske said she feels lucky to be where they are today.

“We’re lucky to have this place, we’re lucky to have each other and we’re so lucky to have the support of our families,” she said. “My dad alone has been amazing, and my siblings (have helped out) – having the backing of our whole family has been a blessing.”

Traczyk and Karpenske said their skill sets match and complement each other – each contributing different aspects to overall business operations.

“Basically, my mom is the one who runs the front room,” Karpenske said. “She pretty much stocks and makes all of the (baked goods) that go in the front room.”

Karpenske said she is in charge of the custom order side of the business.

“I do almost all of our custom orders – cakes, cupcakes and cookies,” she said.

Traczyk said while she leans toward the classics – “the feel-good baked goods, like molasses sugar cookies” – Karpenske “puts more of a gourmet flair on things.”

“She likes to make fancy cakes and things like that,” she said. “While I stick with the tried-and-true options.”

Traczyk said she loves it when customers try one of Mad Batter’s baked goods and say, ‘these cookies taste just like my grandma used to make,’ and it gives them that reminiscence of comfort.

Karpenske said she likes the creativity custom baking affords her.

“I like when customers give me an idea of a cake, let me do my own thing and it turns out just the way they wanted to,” she said. “That’s the best part for me.”

Traczyk said her son-in-law, Jake Karpenske, has mastered the cinnamon and caramel roll recipes – “so, we let him do that because he is really good at it.”

Taylor Karpenske said they work together on food trailer operations, with help from Jake.

What’s inside?

As the name suggests, Karpenske said the theme of the bakery was inspired by Alice and Wonderland.

“We came up with the ‘Alice in Wonderland’-themed name – Mad Batter – because we love Disney,” she said. “I am a Disney girl through and through, and my mom loves Disney. We watched all the Disney movies growing up, and ‘Alice in Wonderland’ was definitely one of my favorites – my mom’s, too.”

Not only is the theme represented in the bakery’s name, but it is also present in its decor as well – from the bright colored walls and chairs to a brightly painted mural on the wall.

“My son-in-law painted an ‘Alice in Wonderland’ mural on the wall in the bakery,” she said.

Traczyk said the menu itself, though complimented by many regulars, changes often – often offering items of the season.

“We have scones, danishes, assorted cookies, gourmet brownies, cinnamon rolls, caramel rolls, cheesecake parfaits and cheesecake cones,” she said. “We also make a lot of homemade soups, which we sell in the food trailer and here at the bakery. We have salads.”

As far as custom work, Traczyk said Mad Batter offers cupcakes, cookies, cakes – and everything in between.

“Pretty much if customers ask for it, we can make it,” she said. “A lady came to us a while back, and she wanted a special Polish bread. She said it had poppy seeds and inside was honey. We didn’t know what she was talking about, but we figured it out for her, and we can figure it out. If you come to us with an idea, we can figure it out.”

Welcoming community

Traczyk said the Greater Cameron area has welcomed Mad Batter with open arms and sweet tooths.

“I think people really like to come in here,” she said. “There aren’t many bakeries around anymore – so, we’re kind of an anomaly around here.”

Mad Batter’s small, “yet cozy” atmosphere, Traczyk said, adds to the bakery’s charm.

“The mural Jake painted adds that little something extra – there is a lot in here for people to look at,” she said.

Neighboring Ladysmith, Traczyk said, has been a great cheerleader as well.

“The people in the Ladysmith community, which is east of us, they’ve really welcomed us,” she said. “Whenever we take the food trailer over there, we do phenomenal. Some of the baked goods we offer, they don’t have anything close to that (in the area).”

Potential expansion

Though no specific plans are in the works, the women behind Mad Batter said they have their sights set on the future.

“I’d like to move on to someplace bigger – bigger in space and in a bigger town,” Traczyk said. “Foot traffic is a little more quiet than we thought it would be. I think a bigger (community) would serve us better.”

She said opening a second location could be an option as well – “but that possibility is way in the future.”

Karpenske said they plan to bring the Mad Batter food trailer to a lot more fairs and festivals over the next year as well.

Mad Batter is open 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.

It is closed Sundays and Mondays.

For more on Mad Batter – including daily updates of bakery items available – check it out on Facebook.