Bakery, café opens in Paperjack Plaza

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Dave Michaud, owner of Fresh Fields Bakery, stands with four new employees, all from New Richmond. Pictured (left to right) are Michaud, Mercedes Seidling, Julie Slicer, Linda Farnden and Dana Franzen.

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Fresh Fields, a bakery and café specializing in artisan breads and pastries that has been serving Stillwater Minn., residents since 2004, has opened a second location in New Richmond.

The local location is in Paperjack Plaza, on the corner of Highway 65 and Paperjack Drive.

The addition of another Fresh Fields Bakery and Café was something owners Brad and Jen Michaud had been thinking about since they took ownership of the Stillwater location in 2008.

Although the desire to grow the business was something that was a goal for the Michauds, a location for the bakery was not, said Dave Michaud, a 42-year-old with more than 20 years in the restaurant business.

After Michaud toured the current location in Paperjack Plaza in May, he knew it was the right area and the perfect fit for his bakery, he said.

Besides liking the physical location of the plaza, the Michauds were attracted to New Richmond for others reasons.

“We knew we had a huge following in western Wisconsin,” he said. “In the middle of winter, people from Amery and New Richmond would come to the bakery for bread.”

The breads and pastries that apparently lure people out of their homes in the dead of winter are baked every evening at the Stillwater location. The 44 different kinds of breads are prepared from scratch and are free of preservatives, sugar and transfats.

Every morning, the fresh baked goods are delivered to the New Richmond Fresh Fields, as well as Brady’s Brewhouse and Jet’s Coffee and Bistro.

With a mindset that a business owner just can’t “open up the doors and expect people to come in,” Michaud also sells his products at 11 farmer’s markets in the Twin Cities and to several grocery stores, bistros and restaurants. Michaud is also dabbling in the wedding cake business.

In addition to the bakery goods, the New Richmond Fresh Fields also offers a full lunch menu of fresh salads, soups and sandwiches.

The bakery and café - complete with a drive thru - is open from 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tags: new richmond, business, food