Bella Rose Bakery Cafe & Coffee House

Summer 2009

2009-07-20T15:30:00.000-07:00

We have had a great summer so far! This year our staff is doing a fantastic job keeping our customers happy. If you haven't tried our new scones you are in for a treat. With a little tweaking the new scones are better than ever. Come get one today!

Join us on Sundays for a lazy day of coffee and treats. It may be hot outside but the cafe is cool and relaxing.

Not sure where we are located? Just look for the new striped umbrella's.

our final Sunday!

2008-08-31T12:10:00.000-07:00

Our final Sunday was very busy, it has been a great summer for us.

Sunday August 31st is our last Sunday open for the season.

Fall is in the air. Chili & Chicken pot pies are coming soon!

Be sure to stop in and try them.

Taking the Helm

2008-08-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

During the last two weeks, many changes have occurred at the Bella Rose.

Allow me to introduce you to our new General Manager. While our lovely Teresa will continue to manage the kitchen, she will also be sharing her time with the front end as well.

In case you're wondering, the poodle skirt was for Car d'Alene and not our new cafe uniform....although it would be amusing for customers if it were.

Most importantly Teresa will be taking over the Bella Rose Blog. We look forward to hearing her updates to cafe life in Coeur d'Alene!

Hello Cupcake!

2008-05-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

Cupcakes have landed at Bella Rose Bakery Cafe & Coffee House. We are experimenting with new flavors. Right now we have Chocolate Domino, Zesty Lemon, Pumpkin Spice with Cream Cheese Frosting and Chocolate with peanut butter frosting.

Put some spring into Spring...come in today for a cupcake!

Will Spring Ever Come

2008-04-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

For residence of North Idaho spring is overdue. Each day at the cafe we here the grumble of locals wondering if it will ever stop snowing...of course we are asking the same question. Just last week as I was heading out to work in the garden, it started snowing. I was bemused, as the snow had only just melted away. One can only hope that spring will be glorious once it finally arrives.

Speaking of glorious, we would like to introduce our adorable mini loaf cakes. Of course we have Pumpkin Gingerbread and we have just added our wonderful Lemon cake to the pastry line up. Please come in and have a taste.

Bella Rose on TV

2008-02-27T16:58:00.000-08:00

Just before Christmas a film crew asked to shoot a portion of the TLC show My First Home at the cafe. The episode recently aired. We had lots of fun with the filming, although we wish they had used more footage of the cafe.

I took the pictures from the TV, which is why they look kind of strange, but you get the idea.

Here is a picture of our knitting yoga instructor and her husband with my step-dad in the forground.

It was a fun experience!

Good Morning Bella Rose

2008-01-31T09:33:00.000-08:00

Here is our happy Barista making a customers drink. Who wouldn't want their coffee made to perfection by such a cheery face first thing in the morning?

A couple of our regular customers enjoying their morning brew. We see them nearly everyday and are especially grateful when they come for a visit on a day such as today...it snowed like crazy last night!

We may still be clearing the sidewalks, but it's business as usual at Bella Rose. We are excited to make you your favorite drink, so come on in!

Snowed In at Bella Rose

2008-01-27T14:07:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone we miss you! Come down and see us at the cafe. We are experiencing record level snow and they are piling it up everywhere! Stop in for a cup of our house made chai, homemade soups or just to say hello and warm up. Baby its cold outside!

Bushe de Noel

2007-12-16T10:20:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays! Some have looked at this cake and wondered...to themselves...what is it?

Well, its a Yule Log cake complete with meringue mushrooms!

Financier

2007-12-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

This is our newest pastry at Bella Rose Bakery Cafe. They are sooo dang good and apparently our customers agree as we are selling them like crazy. Basically it is a mini orange almond cake that we bake in a brioche tin. It makes it nice and crispy along the edges. Whatever you do and where ever you are, do yourself a favor and come in and try one....now!

Good Morning America comes to Coeur d'Alene

2007-12-03T19:59:00.000-08:00

At the request of the Downtown Association on Nov. 28th we opened the cafe at 4am in the morning! Crazy! The cause of so much commotion was none other than Good Morning America filming live the Coeur d'Alene Resort Holiday Light Show. The resort pulled out all the stops including reenacting the holiday night time parade, fireworks and another tree lighting ceremony...all these had been done the night after Thanksgiving which is the traditional night for the holiday festivities in town.

I must confess to my skepticism at opening at 4am, especially when we normally open at 7am. Anyway it was surprisingly busy, our customers were super friendly and many of them thanked us for being open so they could get their morning cup of Joe and warm up. I just want to say thank you for coming and making it all worth it!

Cupcake Cakes

2007-11-12T21:31:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't enjoy a nice piece of cake? However, with a cupcake cake you can have two or maybe even three different flavors of cake...especially when the cupcakes are small. This cake was made for my sisters baby shower. I actually transported it on an airplane which was INSANE, but it worked. The only thing that went wrong was my cream cheese frosting didn't travel well.

The Sandwich Queen Extrodinaire

2007-10-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

This lovely lady is the glue of Bella Rose...aka Kitchen Manager. She makes sure the pastries have been baked each day and keeps the panini sandwiches flying off the grill. Needless to say, we LOVE her! She is actually the glue in many ways or perhaps she would be better described as the SUPER MOM! She tends to our needs, kisses our bumps and bruises with her kind words and gives us inspiration with all of her great ideas. In this picture she is wrestling with our salad spinner...yes, we really do wash and spin our lettuce here at Bella Rose. It just tastes better that way! So the next time you order a breakfast burrito know it was prepared with love by a super cool lady each and everyday!

Stuffed Baked Potatoes

2007-10-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

The past two winters that we have been open we have made stuffed baked potatoes and they sold like crazy. We even had customers ask for them for breakfast. This fall we put them out once again and we couldn't give them away. After several weeks of throwing them out due to lack of interest we decided to remove them from the menu. Of course, as soon as we did customers started asking for them again. This brings me to the largest issue we face as a cafe...the lack of consistency. For example yesterday, Monday, was such a pathetically slow day and it was sunny and beautiful outside. Today, Tuesday it was rainy and colder and we were so busy at the cafe we could hardly keep up! No matter what time of the year it is, one thing we can always count on is to not count on anything ever because its aways going to be different! Anyway, adios stuffed potato! You'll just have to eat our amazing homemade soups instead or try the Chicken Pot Pie! Its good stuff.

Our little Spitfire

2007-10-13T20:37:00.000-07:00

When Spitfire first started working for us, she wouldn't even look me in the eye! Now-a-days she has no problem telling my what's on her mind and it's usually quite a bit...please tell me how you really feel! She is the ONLY employee we have had who cross trained herself. She can can efficiently do almost every job at the cafe which makes her one awesome employee! If you are lucky enough to have her serve you at the cafe she may just talk you into buying something you didn't even know you wanted and be happy about it.

The Switch-a-roo

2007-10-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

Change can be very difficult! Especially for Bella Rose Customers. We recently reconfigured our service area to enlarge the dining room. Some of our regulars loved it because it created a more spacious feel and some of our customers hated it...and didn't mind tell us so. Our back room is now entirely a gift shop...sorry to our loyal customers who enjoyed having their coffee in the back room. Now there is lots of fun stuff to look at while you wait!

Overdue!!

2007-10-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

The only possible excuse I have for not blogging in over a month, albeit a lame excuse, is that I was recovering from the busiest of the three summers we have been opened. Everyone got worked this year. It was crazy & exhausting in every way! Of course now that tourist season is over we are searching for things to do...where is the happy medium?

Anyway, I am officially retired from the wedding cake business. To make things even more final, after finishing my last cake order for the season I accidentally broke the machine that I use to decorate my white chocolate wrapped cakes.

Here are a couple wedding cakes I made for the auspicious day of 7-7-07. Hopefully the day will bring the couples luck and a long happy marriage.

Meet the Barista

2007-08-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

I thought I had better hurry and introduce our next barista before she leaves us for college. This little lady has always reminded Mom & I of my oldest niece. Mostly because they are both giggly, have curly hair and talk so dang fast one must really concentrate in order to take it all in. Known for her wonderfully steamed milk and bossing her sister around (who also works for us) like a red-headed-step-child she will be missed. We wish her well as she continues her education down in Moscow! Good luck little lass.

The Men of Bella Rose

2007-08-20T19:02:00.000-07:00

Just a couple cute shots of our guys at day spa with us. While they might work hard all day long at Bella Rose they are still man enough to enjoy a night at the spa with the girls for some R&R. Thanks guys for all those boxes you carry to the basement, all the nails nailed, screws screwed, heavy things lift and sharing your brawn with the ladies!

Should you wonder

2007-08-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

If you ever visit the cafe and our employees are:

...glum

...gloomy

...look tired or hung over

...grumpy

or bored, this is how they look when we have a party!

Will the next Barista come on down

2007-08-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, its time for another edition of meet the Barista. This lovely lady has been working for us for over a year. I appreciate her for many reasons, but especially as another dog lover. However, even the most well intentioned dog lover can have a bite taken out of them now and again...sometimes by customers dogs when trying to give them a little love. This lady provides a sea of calm on a hectic day. We are glad we have had her working with us for so long!

Take a deep breathe & relax.....

2007-08-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

Being the demanding woman that I am, it is more often the case when I give praise to my staff they do not take me serious. It has been said that I take work TOO seriously, which is a fact! However, I also take play seriously too. We have awesome employees! They have worked very hard all summer long, so we decided instead of taking them to a Smokey pub for pizza and beer we would go to the Highlands Day Spa for a night of R&R. Our evening included a foot bath, foot massage, paraffin dip for both our hands & feet followed by a chair massage and a lovely glass of wine or beer. I have no doubt that everyone slept very well last night. So cheers to our staff who work so hard everyday! We couldn't do it without you. Hip-hip-harrah!

Comedy of Errors

2007-08-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend, our last big event weekend of the summer started off bad and just got worse. Yesterday our grease trap was overflowing in the kitchen. Not only does it smell disgusting but it also makes a huge mess that has to be mopped up…gross. After three visits from roto-rooter the source of the problem was finally discovered.

On Saturday as I was jumping out of the shower my cell rang. It was 5:54 am and our Assistant Manger was calling to say the baker had not showed up to work and she was locked out of the café because she could not find her work key. At 5:56 am I called the morning bakery to say get your butt to work. At 6:08 am the morning baker called me from the café where she and the assistant manager were now both locked out as neither one of them had their key. Then at 6:15am the first barista showed up, so then I had three employees locked out of the café waiting to get in to work. Meanwhile I was at home frantically getting dressed, feeding the dog and looking for shoes to run out the door and to work. At 6:30am the kitchen manager arrived to see three employees standing outside the back door of the café. She wondered if we were having a fire drill….uggg! What a day!

Party time means catering time for Bella Rose

2007-08-01T18:24:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos from an art gallery reception catered by Bella Rose last year.
The artist was local to Coeur d Alene and also one of our regular customers. The event was lovely, well presented and of coarse well fed as we were the cater. The menu included Smoked Salmon tartlets, White bean and artichoke tapenade, a selection of crackers & yogurt flat bread and of course our signature Huckleberry Meat balls.

Check out the above link to see the local artist we celibrated that day.

Another round of meet the barista

2007-07-31T19:35:00.000-07:00

Next in our line of seniority....here she is. Again, I will omit our lovely ladies names for the protection of their privacy. This lady has been with us for over a year now steaming velvety milk perfection day after day. This fashionista may like hanging out at the beach more than hanging out with us but who can blame her? We simply must take advantage of our 3 months of summer before we return to our 9 months of winter. She is one of three of our employees who won an employee incentive which ended last January. To win you had to come to work on time & not call in sick for a 6 month period. Congratulations for being prompt and healthy!

Hey, this looks like our logo!

2007-07-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

Call me skeptical , but don't you think this logo looks way too similar to our mug logo at Bella Rose Bakery Cafe? This shop just moved across the street from us in resort mall. Hmmmm....what do you think?

July the 4th

2007-07-10T09:23:00.000-07:00

There is nothing like a small town 4th of July. Coeur d Alene celebrates with an annual parade down Sherman Avenue. People start setting out chairs the night before to save a space. Needless to say it is a very busy day for Bella Rose Bakery Cafe and Coffee House.

Our staff kicked it big time on the 4th. They have it down to a science and still seem to have a little fun at the same time. One thing for sure, no man, woman or child dare back talk our baristas after a summer of scooping ice cream. True they may look little and sweet, but trust me, they are packing some serious spam in those biceps.

The Red Hot Mama's are a parade must see. They are a drill team of local ladies who dance down Sherman pushing shopping carts or Hoovers wearing head dresses that would feed a family of four...milk jugs, boxes of Cheerios, etc.

Busy as we were, the 4th was a victory. Our staff rocked it and had a little fun while they were at it. Probably the hardest part of cafe life is having to work weekends and holidays. One of the reasons cafe jobs are a stepping stone and usually not a career, unless of course you happen to be the owner.

The Finish Line

2007-06-27T20:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, this is the last Ironman Entry. Just wanted to include a pic of a runner heading towards the finish line. It is very inspirational to see them coming in and it actually makes one tear up a bit. It is such an amazing commitment to complete the Ironman! If you could bottle that type of commitment in a jar and sell it as a pill you'd be rich!

Now that the big event of the summer is over we can gear up for the 4th of July Parade! After all, its just around the corner and is another busy day for Bella Rose Cafe and staff.

Bella Rose Triathlon

2007-06-26T10:39:00.001-07:00

I thank my lucky stars we have such wonderful employees. Everyone worked so dang hard and I am sure they are all exhausted! We had sore legs, sore feet, cuts & burns and lots and lots of abuse from mean, ill-spirited customers!

Here is what we sold the day of the Triathlon:

829 Drinks
439 Pastries & desserts
230 scoops of ice cream
211 Grilled Panini Sandwiches
17 Salads
37 Slices of Quiche
83 Breakfast burritos
49 Yogurt Parfaits
12 Baked Oatmeal

This is just what we sold inside the cafe. We also had a coffee & breakfast burrito stand outside which we have not idea what we sold, however I estimate we sold:

100 Breakfast Burritos
35 Yogurt Parfaits
Lots of Coffee & Lots of pastries!

I wish I could take my entire staff on a spa vacation to thank them for such an amazing job well done. They need some serious R&R! I guess we should write Oprah a letter to see if she would send my little crew to Hawaii just like she sent her own. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try!

The Finish Line!

2007-06-26T10:25:00.001-07:00

For the Ford Ironman Triathlon Sherman Aveneue was closed down in front of the cafe. The picture shows the finish line for the race. It is exciting in the afternoon as the streets are packed with people cheering on the finishers. They keep the finish line open until midnight and the race begins at 7am. It would take me until midnight to finish it. Crazy! The second picture is of the swimmers out in the lake. Of course it is impossible to see them. All you can really see is a white line of their swimming caps in the water.

Coeur d'Alene just renegotiated our contract with the Ironman Triathlon extending it to the year 2012, which is very exciting. That means if I start training now I might be ready to do it our last year.

Ironically the Ironman Triathlon moved to the City of Coeur d'Alene from Provo, Utah after a swimmer tragically drowned in Utah Lake. I used to live in Provo and have always been amazed that anyone would be required to swim in that cesspool of steel mill pollution.

Ironman Triathalon 2007

2007-06-24T21:10:00.001-07:00

What a crazy day! We literally sold everything...we had to close because there was nothing left to sell, plus it was closing time.

I have so much to blog about Ironman, however I thought I would start at the end and work backwards.

Just LOOK at our trash can! No only is trash piled high above the actual can (really it is all supposed to fit nicely inside the can with the lid closed) but it is also stacked on the ground.

Ohhh, the garbage man is going to be grumpy tomorrow!

Will the next barista please come on down!

2007-06-22T20:09:00.000-07:00

This lovely lady is the next in the seniority line. From her first interview we knew we wanted to hire her, only at the time we couldn't afford another employee. I interviewed her twice as did our assistant manager and my mom interview her once. I 'm sure she thought we were so freaky! When we finally decided we could afford to hire another person, she was the first person we called, only she told us she had just received another job. She made us sweat it out overnight waiting to see if she would come work for us at Bella Rose. Fortunately we got her. She provides us with a calming influence that is especially welcome on a crazy busy day.

Cranberry Chutney

2007-06-21T18:03:00.000-07:00

Ooooh! You know you love it grilled on our Turkey Havarti Panini.

Well here is what it looks like before it goes into the oven. Yes, the oven. We actually bake it. Can you pick out all the ingredients?

Please...do this at home!

2007-06-20T15:54:00.001-07:00

We took this picture out of desperation.
Yes, people actually do this at the cafe and leave
it for us to clean up.
People, you do this stuff at home, not in public! If you have to do this, at least do a courteous flush so you don't plug the toilet. Honestly, this is one of the most horrific, disgusting aspects of cafe ownership and something I absolutely was not prepared for. So gross!! The sad part is, it happens all the time! Not only that, but the nicest, most respectable person will be kind enought to tell us they plugged the toilet and this is what we find!

Who's the Frenchiest of them all??

2007-06-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

My very good friend ML is from France. She grew up in wine country and now resides in the high desert of Utah with her lovely kids & husband. When Bella Rose first opened, we waited a couple months for our grand opening, which we did on July 14th Bastille Day or the equivalent of our 4th of July. My friend drove up for the event all they way from Utah with three little kids and her sister-in-law...isn't that lovely of her! Among her many talents, she also does voice over work with that sexy french accent of hers. Now when you call the cafe you will hear her greet you both in English and French. I stole this picture of her from her personal blog. She is in France looking very French with her hat and market basket...oh la la.

Car D'Alene on Sherman Ave

2007-06-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

So, this is what the front of our store looked like over the weekend. The street was closed off and the classic cars were moved in. It was a busy day and lots of fun! Well, maybe not as much fun for the workees as it was for the attendees.

Car d'Alene Weekend

2007-06-14T11:05:00.001-07:00

Our old faithful! This thing is going to get a workout this week. Father's Day weekend Sherman Avenue is transformed into a car show. All the dads spend the day talking about their cars and spit shining their pride & joy...automobiles. The Friday night before they have a car parade that drives in circles, literally for 3 hours. It doesn't matter if you are driving a Pinto or a Porsche, anyone may enter. Bring your gas masks!

Meet the Staff

2007-06-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

I will introduce our staff here at Bella Rose based on seniority. I will omit names, however to protect the privacy of my employees.

We have wonderful employees here at the cafe. One of the questions we ask on our application is "Why do you want to work at a cafe?" People often respond they want to work at Bella Rose because they love the mellow atmosphere. It may be mellow as a guest, but it is anything but as an employee. Customer service is a very demanding job and our guys & gals do an amazing job. Customers always compliment the service they received when visiting the cafe.

The lovely baritsa pictured has been with us here at Bella Rose since the day we opened the doors. I always marvel at how she has made it though all the craziness of opening up a new business and she has done so with grace and consistency. She currently works as the Assistant Manager (or my girl Friday) and gives us an invaluable example of customer service. It always amazes me how she remembers so many customers names AND their drink order! She is also a student at NIC working on a pre-nursing degree. Sadly for us, she starts nursing school in the fall. If we are lucky, we will get to keep her at least a few days a week! Here she is making her famous perfectly steamed milk for a regulars Vanilla Latte. Don't you wish you had one?

This is my red headed step child! I was once a red headed step child, so when my baker girl went from platinum blonde to red hair I decided to make her my red headed step-child! She wakes up early in the morning to bake our pastries every morning so we can serve them up fresh to our customers. She continues to astound us with here choice in early morning music...ah to be young again! It seems that everything I love (dried cherries, banana chips & almond cake) she hates! Unfathomable! In this picture she labors over cheesecake, slowly pouring in eggs one at a time! Is that the secret to it being so good? Maybe...maybe not!

2007-06-12T11:09:00.001-07:00

Our cafe coffee mug adorned by the ever talented Horseflesh

I think it is a little bee? We are very much busy bees at the cafe. Wow, summer came all of the sudden and now we are all running like crazy. Anyway, thank you Horseflesh for not painting a maggot!

By the way, this is a first edition Bella Rose Mug. We are currently on our third addition. People really like the mugs, although we wish they would like them enough to purchase them rather than steal them!

A busy weekend and an Anniversary Cake.

2007-06-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I made this cake! It was for an anniversary party given by a daughter for her parents who never had a wedding cake because they eloped. So sweet of her! Hope they liked it! The parents picked the cake flavor and wisely chose carrot cake. Yum.

2007-06-10T17:12:00.000-07:00

Our Turkey Pesto Panini is a best seller!

Our Yummy Almond Croissant! Customers Have been known to fly into fits of menopausal rage should run out before they get theirs!

Partners In Crime

2007-06-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

What possessed a mother & daughter to move to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho and open a cafe? We still ask ourselves this question, but mostly we thought it would be fun. Honestly, most days it is, however it is an incredible amount of work as well. We pour our hearts into each cup of coffee we serve and bake each of our pastries with a healthy scoop of hopes and dreams. True, its hard work, long days, sore tootsies & lots of banter, but truly a labor of love.