Host your next party at Der Bake Oven Bakery and Café to rave reviews

Host your next party at Der Bake Oven  Bakery and Café to rave reviews
Randy McKee

Der Bake Oven owner Ruth Mast keeps the fresh-baked goodies, like doughnuts and bread, coming. The café features delicious homemade fare made with locally sourced ingredients.

                        

A private breakfast or lunch at Der Bake Oven Bakery and Café is just like sharing a meal at a friend’s house, Ruth Mast said. Except Mast’s food may be better.

Mast, owner of the restaurant and bakery that has been a Berlin staple for almost three decades, is now offering private breakfast or lunch by reservation in Der Bake Oven’s brand-new party room. Before now the popular establishment had been a must-stop breakfast and lunch destination for locals and visitors.

“With our new party room, we’re taking private reservations for parties of 10 or more,” Mast said. “The reservations need to be made at least a week in advance to give us time to plan the personalized menu and buy all of the fresh ingredients.”

The new room also will accommodate bridal showers, birthday parties or any other personal or business affair with as many as 40 guests.

The use of fresh ingredients — locally sourced as much as possible — is consistent with Der Bake Oven tradition, Mast said.

“The biggest way we stand out is that my food and bakery are truly homemade,” she said. “I don’t use boxed ingredients or prepared mixes. My stuff is my own recipes, made from scratch with my own ingredients.”

It’s been that way since Mast purchased Der Bake Oven 22 years ago after working for the original owners for 10 years. Her passion for preparing quality food goes back farther than that.

“When I was a kid, my grandparents had an in-home bakery, and my aunt had an in-home bakery in Kentucky, which I would visit and help in during the summer,” she said. “It was a big deal for me to help make the dough, and I still love to have my hands in the dough, making breads and pies.”

Mast’s passion for baking eventually expanded to cooking.

“I always thought I would have a place like this someday,” Mast said. “The bakery was the first focus, but then I wanted to have a small café, so we started with a few soups and a few sandwiches. We started to offer salads, and it grew from there.”

Many longtime lunchtime patrons gravitate to Mast’s chicken salad croissant and her German potato salad, which she said are her best sellers.

“I’ve developed my own recipes over the years,” she said. “I love to come up with just the right amount of spices and the perfect sauces.”

Some of those recipes are now served at Der Bake Oven’s private breakfast and lunch.

“We have a special menu for private breakfasts and lunches, and we serve it family style,” she said. “People can call in their reservations, but it’s best to come by so we can talk in person about what you want to serve. We can do an Italian theme, and we have some Mexican themes, and, of course, traditional Amish-style cuisine. We can do stir fries and steak. Our chef is very creative with developing special themes.”

Parties also can have special themes.

“Recently I did a vegetarian meal for a bridal party,” Mast said. “I did an Italian theme with stuffed shells and an Alfredo sauce with homemade bread sticks and pasta. We can also do lighter fare, like a soup and sandwich combo.”

While you’re there, you may not want to miss Der Bake Oven’s homemade ice cream.

“We change up our flavors all the time, but our signature flavor is blueberry cheesecake,” Mast said. “We also sell a lot of butter pecan.”

Like her food and bakery, Mast’s ice cream is made fresh with local ingredients.

“Our strawberry ice cream has real mashed strawberries that are grown locally,” she said.

In the morning Der Bake Oven’s espresso bar will wake you up with lattes and cappuccinos, which complement Mast’s homemade doughnuts.

“There is nothing like our potato-based glazed doughnuts hot off the press, and people also love our chocolate crème-filled doughnuts,” she said.

And be sure to ask Mast about her homemade cakes.

You can schedule your private party by calling 330-893-3365. You can view menus and get more information at DerBakeOven.com. Der Bake Oven is located in Downtown Berlin at 4766 OH-39. Hours are Monday through Saturday 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.


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