KUNA, Idaho — There's a new baker in town specializing in sourdough. Hudson Bakery Company out of Kuna launched during the pandemic and made its mark at local farmers markets around the Treasure Valley.
Now, they're introducing their customers to an Eastern European treat - kolaches!
If you've never heard of a kolach, you're not alone. Hudson Baking co-owners Anna Hudson and her husband Aaron are introducing the area to the delicious treat.
"I don’t think that we ever saw ourselves transitioning into the food industry," Anna said.
A year ago, serving up sourdough was just a dream -- until COVID-19 cost Anna her job and prompted Aaron to turn his hobby into the family business.
"Everybody found out that Aaron was making his bread and they said, 'I want some.'"
Aaron's skills are precise. Years before he was known as a baker, he served in the US Army as an intelligence analyst.
"I was first stationed in St. Angelo, Texas," he said.
That's where Aaron first learned about kolaches, and eventually, how to make them, supplementing his GI Bill by working in the restaurant industry.
"[Kolaches] do look similar to danishes. A lot of people think they’re danishes," he said.
Americans were first introduced to the kolach in the mid-1800s after immigrants from Europe settled in Texas.
"Very fruity and very flavorful they’re not overly sugary or sweet."
People may not know what they are, but they know they're good.
So good, it's hard for Hudson Baking Co. to keep them in stock.
"It was freezing cold, it was snowing," said Anna, "[That] was our first market experience, but we sold out in an hour."
Now, they're excited to share kolaches with Kuna at their brand new location (291 North Ave E) and introduce Idahoans to all of their sourdough creations.
