HH_011719

18 | January 17, 2019 | The Homer Horizon life & arts
homerhorizon.com
Homer Glen natives grow Rustic Knead in Lemont
Kruczaks prepare to
open bakery several
doors down from
existing business
Thomas Czaja, Editor
When Homer Glen natives
and brothers Robert
and Richard Kruczak first
opened Rustic Knead on
July 1, 2015, they came into
the community of Lemont
with their business to test
their product and concept
there.
They rebuilt and refurbished
the existing space,
which previously housed
The Great American Bagel,
into what is now both a café
and bakery that has its bakers
in plain sight working
kneading dough and preparing
bread and pastries behind
a glass window at the
back of the business.
Nearly four-and-a-half
years into operation, they
have long since carved their
niche in town, with regulars
enjoying the quality of the
food and atmosphere, which
has a rustic, wooded look
with the interior.
“The rustic angle I think is
back to the basics – back to
the way it used to be,” Richard
said. “The décor and
environment is warm and
homely, comfortable.”
For Richard, who still
lives in Homer, and Robert,
who lives in Lockport, the
chance to do breakfast and
lunch seven days a week and
also extend catering to families
and companies in the
community and surrounding
area has been rewarding. The
name Rustic Knead features
both of their initials, with the
RK logo incorporated on the
wall by a cushioned seating
area near the front entrance.
The next business development
for the brothers is
Rustic Knead, a bakery and café, makes all its baked goods
and breads fresh daily.
to partner with Lia P Gluten
Bakery, formerly located in
Westmont and whose baked
treats Rustic Knead already
sells. The new gluten-free
bakery is to open several
doors down from Rustic
Knead within approximately
the next month or so, Richard
said.
“The selection [at Lia P]
will be a lot deeper and go
into details of things we
don’t here like cupcakes,
coffeecakes,” Richard said,
noting there is a big glutenfree
customer base in the
community, and that all
breakfast and lunch sandwiches
at Rustic Knead can
already be made on glutenfree
bread. “We just have a
limited selection here. [We’d
like to get the new bakery
open] ideally as soon as possible.”
In the meanwhile, the
Kruczak brothers will simultaneously
keep maintaining
Rustic Knead, which serves
the breakfast portion of its
menu until 10:30 a.m. on
weekdays and 11:30 a.m. on
weekends, when it switches
over to lunch.
For breakfast, the farmer’s
egg sandwich ($4.45)
comes with a sautéed egg
with black forest ham, gouda
cheese, baby arugula and
avocado is a popular choice,
the brothers said. For lunch,
one of the most popular
items is the Cobb ($8.25),
a sandwich that comes with
antibiotic-free chicken,
Gouda cheese, bacon, avocado
leafy greens, egg and
cranberry chutney.
The Kruczaks, who each
of years of experience in the
restaurant and hospitality
industries, wanted to have
healthy and creative menu
options, ones they refined
by working with different
ingredients on the sandwiches.
“Everything is fresh and
made to order,” Rich said.
“Eggs are made to order
here in front of you, so if
you want to change things or
have a dietary restriction, we
can meet up with whatever
your needs are.”
All breads and pastries are
made in house, as are the salads,
dressings and spreads.
The flour and some of their
cheese come from Wisconsin,
while the majority of
meats and cheeses come
from Europe, due to standards
for the products being
higher across the Atlantic,
according to Rich.
“These days, the customer
is very educated in reference
to what they want to
The interior of Rustic Knead is intentionally designed to be a warm and homely concept
inviting to customers, according to owners and Homer Glen natives Robert and Richard
Kruczak. Photos by Thomas Czaja/22nd Century Media
eat, and they have a choice,
so when you have a product,
you can’t really cut corners,”
Rich said.
As for the baked goods
Rustic Knead offers, Robert
said preferences range across
the board, and that the dark
chocolate Nutella, blueberry
Danish and almond paste
are some of the top flavors
of choice for the individual
croissants they bake.
Bobby added they make
seven to eight different kinds
of breads, which are also
available for purchase by
themselves, with an emphasis
on their whole grain and
rustic baguette ($2.75).
“We found a good system
how to figure out how to balance
production with staff,”
Bobby said. “We open at 7
a.m. and here at 4:30 or 5 in
the morning baking fresh for
the day.”
As owners, Robert and
Richard are hands-on with
their business, actively involved
day-to-day with
operations, crediting their
wives for helping with their
children and supporting
Rustic Knead, as well as the
help from other family and
friends.
“Being close to home,
literally a 10-15 minute
commute, is always a good
thing,” Robert said. “[Richard]
and I are here pretty
much day-to-day.”
Elsewhere, even the
drinks are health-conscious
and unique at Rustic Knead,
as the brothers are quick to
say customers will not find
the traditional Coke or Pepsi
products there.
“You are going to find bottled
beverages that are very
clean and items you can’t
find other places,” Richard
said.
Introducing new things
to the community, whether
via the bakery, restaurant
or retail aspect of the business,
while also doing some
wholesale baking to supply
other nearby restaurants
and working on seasonal
pastries, Rustic Knead and
Rustic Knead
1130 State St. in
Lemont
Hours
• 7 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-
Friday
• 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday
and Sunday
For more information ...
Web: www.rusticknead.
com
Phone: (630) 296-0660
its sibling owners stay busy
wearing different hats.
They believe in hiring staff
with a baking background to
keep the multi-step fermentation
process for the bread
perfected, leaving them to
maintain the equation of
ingredients, procedure and
temperature to continue
churning out the product
Rustic Knead has come to be
known for by local residents.
“It’s a great community
that supports the business
very well,” Richard said in
summary.