In this newsletter, we have an interview excerpt with Elizabeth Rzoska, the owner and baker at Prairie Baking Co. in Portland, Maine. Everything she’s baked has made me say ‘wow’ out loud, and today we hear about her favorite spring produce, how she deals with the long winters in Maine, and she generously shares her canelé recipe with us.
Photo credits: Sela Betz
I believe doggedly that Saturday morning is meant for staying in bed until 8 am - or whatever your version of ‘late’ looks like. This Saturday, at 7 am, I am at Nightmares, the hidden gem of a bar on the East End, quietly tucked into the corner of Romasco Lane. Driving there felt like I was pissing off the leisure gods, but when I got there, Sela, our visual storyteller, was already there, gleefully complicit in this sin.
Before it was Nightmares, the space used to be a gym. But today, there weren’t any barbells or squat racks; it was an empty bar, a buzzing kitchen with a line of dough waiting to go in the oven. I imagined them patiently waiting like kids in line at an ice cream shop, so eager like it’s their life’s purpose. But unlike the tired parent usually standing next to them, Elizabeth stood next to them, looking at it with a wild-eyed conviction! What a thrill to have witnessed that.
After generously handing us cold brew (which soothed my chronic coffee addiction and felt like a peace offering to my inner leisure gods), we sat down to ask her a few questions. These answers and these pictures hopefully offer a glimpse into her spirit, which is as sweet as her cakes.
The Name
Q: Why the name Prairie?
A: I chose the name Prairie because I love the feeling it evokes — something natural and wild, pastoral landscapes, and wildflowers. It also has roots in the Midwest, like me. And honestly, I just really like the word itself.
All About Cake
Q: What’s your favorite kind of cake?
A: Probably chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. If I made my own birthday cake, it would just be chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream — I know that’s kind of boring, but that’s my favorite. I also like our raspberry curd and chocolate cake combo.
Q: Do you have any tricks for when a cake isn’t cooperating?
A: Patience! If something’s going wrong, put it in the fridge and let it cool. Warm cake is way harder to work with — that’s when you get those baking show meltdowns.
‘Usually, time is the real problem, not skill.’
Seasonal Baking
Q: Has living in Maine influenced your seasonal baking?
A: Definitely. I’ve always leaned toward seasonal flavors, but being here makes it more natural. It’s surprising that there isn’t a dedicated farm produce store in town. So I rely on the farmer’s market every Wednesday to see what’s available and build my menus from there.
Q: What about winter? How do you stay motivated when produce isn’t as available?
A: It’s definitely harder in winter. Sometimes I get into citrus, even though it doesn’t grow here. Luckily, the holidays help break up the season. Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas provide some direction with their own flavor palettes. You do get tired of pumpkin after a while, but you work with what’s available—like potatoes, pumpkins, or squash.
Q: What’s your favorite spring flavor combination?
A: I was surprised by how excited people are about rhubarb. I usually don’t do much strawberry-rhubarb, but we had both, so I went for it this year.
Local Recommendations
Q: What are your favorite bakeries or cafes in Portland?
A: I go to Tandem a lot for coffee and pastries. Dutch’s does really good croissants on weekends — kind of a hidden gem. Norimoto is amazing too; I used to go when they were on Cumberland. BLVL makes great croissants as well. And at Moonday, Kelsey makes some really special pastries.
Life Outside The Oven
Q: Do you have any hobbies outside of baking?
A: Ceramics! I take pottery classes at Portland Pottery. I didn’t do ceramics in art school because I wasn’t interested in functional objects back then. Now I love making my own mugs. And actually, working with round shapes in ceramics helped me with shaping cakes on a turntable.
Q: You mentioned you like to draw, do you bring your drawing skills into your cake work?
A: Yeah, I think I'm not bad at drawing, and it definitely helps with cake decorating — especially for color matching and designing elements. There are a couple of cakes I’ve done like that — like one with a little lion topper for a baby shower.
Q: How do you approach learning new things like that? Is it through travel or trying random things?
A: Sometimes it’s spontaneous. One time, I was working at a restaurant, and it was slow, so I experimented with what was around. Other times, I just decide to teach myself something like jam-making. I’m not always great at pushing myself to learn new things, but cookbooks help. If I visit a new bakery or travel, I see something new and get curious.
Q: What got you into making canelés?
A: I’ve always liked them as a pastry. Whenever I saw them at a bakery, I’d get one because they’re not very common. Part of it was that they’re expensive to buy. My mother-in-law got me a set of six copper molds—they’re really shiny and pretty—and they sat around for a while. Eventually, I decided to try making them. It took a little practice to get them right.
After the interview, she sent us off with rhubarb oat scones. And trust me when I say this, I’d gladly piss off the Saturday morning gods all over again for the chance to do this again.
Leftovers
July Pop-ups
Write and Dine - Creative Writing Workshop led by Emma Reynolds. cOME write your feelings about food.
Cookie Swap Event - After crunching your core at Pilates with MOME Studios, exchange your cookie, one for one. Do you accept cookies?
These look breathtaking! Adding it to my list for the next time I’m up in Portland