Bakery started from cancer wakeup call, now expanding
Delaware is about to get twice baked.
Pam Minhas, owner of Baked in Dewey, will open a second cafe this spring in Rehoboth Beach. Thanks to a proven track record for success, she was able to secure coveted real estate on Route 1 in the former Starbucks location.
"The highway is a totally different beast," she said. "We are confident though. Dewey Beach has been very good to us, and we hope to continue that prosperity in Rehoboth."
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Much like the original bakery, Twice Baked will offer homemade pastries, fresh fruit smoothies, Swell Joe coffee and those larger-than-life sticky buns. Minhas also intends to offer decadent dessert drinks like espresso martinis and tiramisu cocktails.
The new location will be open year-round, complete with 30 seats and a breakfast bar. Minhas has enlisted local artist Leah Beech to decorate the space with hand-drawn murals and eclectic art work.
"I have always enjoyed working with Pam," said Beech. "We share a similar vision."
In addition to a rotating menu, Twice Baked will feature signature breakfast and lunch sandwiches, soup, salads, wraps, French-style omelets, waffles and sweet and savory crepes. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options will be available as well.
Creating the new menu, and updating the original, has been a rewarding challenge, she said.
Since Minhas was a child, she had envisioned owning her own restaurant. In high school, she would spend hours drafting mock business plans for her parents to review.
However, after a year at Pennsylvania State University, Minhas joined the United States Army and instead traveled the world. Her experiences in California and Korea in particular, helped cultivate a greater appreciation for food and flavor profiles.
But that still wasn't enough to take the plunge.
For years after finishing active duty, Minhas worked as an IT manager for a book manufacturer in New York. The wakeup call to finally follow her dreams came after she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
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Once she received the all-clear from her doctors, Minhas quit her job, sold her house and moved to Delaware. She opened Baked in Dewey Beach in 2014 and never looked back.
"Going through something like ... staring death right in the face, made it blatantly obvious how precious life is," she said. "I didn't want to waste another minute of it."
Now, a six-year cancer survivor, Minhas is excited to open her second restaurant. She is fully immersed in renovations and is running on little sleep, but could not be happier.
Carol Everhart, CEO and president of the Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce, believes the bakery will be a great asset for the community.
"Baked is a beloved destination in Dewey so I think a lot of fans will be happy to have a second spot further north," she said.
Minhas has hired nearly 20 employees, who have already become family, she said.
For more information, visit Baked in Dewey Beach at http://bakedindewey.com or call 302-864-6000.
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