Stefanie, Annika and Michael Flynn, enjoying the Alaskan wilderness with their two pups, Mogul and Truckee.

We are Michael, Stefanie and Annika Flynn, happy owners of The Bake Shop.

We feel very fortunate to live and work in the beautiful Girdwood Valley, our home. Michael is a trained chef and has worked for over 10 years as Executive Chef for many world-class resorts and hotels. It was always our dream to someday own and operate our very own restaurant. Not only did this dream come true, but it happened to be right here in the most beautiful part of the world. We count our blessings!

The Bake Shop has a long history in Girdwood, Alaska and we are proud to be carrying on the tradition.

The original space, circa 1974.
Click to see larger image »

In 1973, Werner Egloff, leased a small space of what would become The Bake Shop. The space was located in the original Alyeska Hotel and Condominiums (now known as Alyeska East and the Sitzmark). This space was originally used as a Sporting Good store. It was not built to be a restaurant. In Werner's words, "it was lacking toilets and an adequate exhaust system. We had to send customers to the toilets in the Hotel upstairs!"

Werner had actually been managing the Food Concessions at the old Day Lodge and Hotel at Alyeska during this time, and in 1974 he resigned so that he could focus on his business and slowly started building up The Bake Shop. "At that time, I did not think I would be doing it for the rest of my working years," recalls Werner.

Showing off the now famous Sweet Rolls.
Click to see larger image »

The Bake Shop turned out to be a huge success, both in winter and summer seasons.

In 1993, the Health Department rules became stricter and The Bake Shop closed for 4 1/2 months to completely rebuild. Crawl space behind The Bake Shop was purchased, allowing Werner to enlarge the restaurant and bakery. Alyeska Resort lowered the front boardwalk and the parking lot, so they could eliminate the stairs leading into the Bake Shop.

Werner summarizes his experience by stating, "I had many happy days in The Bake Shop, and one of them was the first of November in 1997, when I could turn it over to Mike and Stefanie."