Downtown Modesto gets sweeter. Owners of popular restaurant to open next-door bakery
They met in a bakeshop and now they’re going to own one.
Husband-and-wife team Hank and Ashley Olson have come a long way since they met at their culinary school bakeshop. Now, a dozen years, four children, one food truck and a restaurant later, they’re about to accomplish their shared culinary dreams together.
Seven years ago, they started humbly, opening the Food Fix Truck painted bright orange in what would become their signature color. The truck became a hit on Modesto streets, attracted celebrity endorsements with visits from famous TV chefs like Alton Brown and even was featured on Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.”
Four years later, the Olsons took the next step, a big one, and opened Food Fix Butcher & Baker on 11th Street in the heart of downtown Modesto. The brick-and-mortar restaurant, ironically built in the hull of a failed bakery-restaurant combo, was another labor of love the two embarked on together.
That restaurant also became a hit, becoming a popular lunch and dinner spot for downtown workers and revelers and even hosting special craft beer-pairing dinners for fans. The eatery has been able to thrive and survive the pandemic through hard work, determination and a lot of pivoting, particularly in the COVID-19 crisis’s early days.
Now the couple are taking another giant step with their plans for Bakeshop, opening in the former Barkin’ Dog Grill space directly next door to Food Fix. While the restaurant currently bakes its own fresh breads, cookies and other delights, expanding to a dedicated bakery will allow so much more.
“As we have (grown), I did think it was a lot for us to take on,” said Ashley Olson, Food Fix’s resident baker. “But (Hank) kept saying, ‘Just trust me. Just trust me.’ This was the goal from the very beginning. It’s really neat to see it actually unfolding.”
Bakeshop will make all of Food Fix’s current offerings and a lot more. That includes all of their signature breads, new styles of bread, cookies, cakes, pastries, specialty desserts and more. Hank Olson said their current kitchen is too small to grow their baking operation the way they want.
Besides baking treats to sell to the public and making bread for their restaurant, the Olsons will begin making bread wholesale for other restaurants and clients in downtown Modesto. They’ve already spoken with their across-the-street neighbor Tresetti’s about making bread for the restaurant.
“(Wholesale baking) will be our bread-and-butter, so to speak,” Hank said.
But first, the Olsons are working on the 2,240-square-foot space that spent more than a decade cranking out burgers and hot dogs. The building is being cleaned and renovated, but once finished, the bakery have a similar layout to before. And, of course, they’ll be keeping the original brick wall and hope to enhance other historical touches as well.
They also plan to keep the former restaurant’s open kitchen location, allowing guests to see the bakers at work. The space will likely be open for breakfast and lunch, and then can be used to host private and restaurant events, like their popular beer dinners, which started regularly in the past year.
The new bakery will allow the Food Fix restaurant to increase its output and offerings, as well. Hank already has plans to put in a smoker and also make more of their own charcuterie.
Like with each of their new ventures, the Olsons have relied on community support to take the next step. The pair have run successful Kickstarter crowd-funding campaigns for the food truck and restaurant, and are planning another for the bakery. The previous campaign gave customers the chance to support them and be recognized for their efforts with perks.
While they’re still in the early stages of planning, you’ll already find the Olsons working in the new space. They’re shooting for an Oct. 4 opening, which would be the third anniversary of Food Fix Butcher & Baker’s opening.
“It’s been a good run that we’ve had,” Ashley said. “And this really is what we wanted all along. It’s just the best location.”
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 7:00 AM.
