A Chat with Dan Reisenberger about baking with exceptional taste in Ohio
Dan Riesenberger gets on the horn with our designer, Alec Battistoni, a fellow Ohioan, to chat all things baked, jarred, and seasonal on the occasion of the release of our collaborative Satsuma Plum & Cardamom Jam.
Alec: So how did you come to know about Sqirl?
Dan: Actually it was an ex-girlfriend who introduced me to Sqirl on a trip to LA. I was blown away and it was instantly my favorite food in Los Angeles. The ricotta toast blew my mind. The crispy disco was amazing. I mean the flavors and the way the food reinvigorates you is really remarkable. I feel like most places don't leave you feeling as good as Sqirl’s food does, and the flavor combinations are so innovative. Jessica showed me around the kitchen while I was there and it was inspiring, you know, her vision there. I feel like it really does such justice to the food and the producers. I feel like we do the same here in Columbus with our pastries and bread.
Alec: Do you find sourcing produce in the Midwest a vastly different experience to what you experienced here in California? Are you able to apply the same principles?
Dan: In a lot of ways, yes. We are continuing to grow in our produce acquisition, but you know there's no comparison to California unfortunately. There's so much incredible produce with the central valley right there and all of these organic pioneers that have been there for 34 years and it's like you can't substitute it. Though, I do get some really beautiful stuff here in Ohio & I feel like some of the highest might even be a little higher than CA. There’s this one particular strawberry I get out here that I think tops even CA. We have some spectacular apples, and in general we have some up and coming farmers who are doing some really amazing stuff out here.
Sqirl: What's your favorite local produce?
Dan: The seasonal peaches from Branstool orchards are so so so good.
Alec: What’s something you've noticed that's unique about the baking scene in the Midwest?
Dan: The expectations are so specific. It's been a real funny journey for us because we're so different from the expectation here. There has been a big learning curve for the community to really catch on, but it has caught on in a big way. We still hear “oh this bread is too expensive and it's burnt” you know and it's like, well, it’s organic and I pay my people really well and we only use really quality ingredients, and first of all, it’s caramelized, not burnt. We've always been fighting uphill to redefine what people see as good and worth it because people here are so used to bakeries being like a donut shop with like soft Italian bread.
When people are encouraged and brought in to appreciate it they end up thinking it's so cool, but first you have to get somebody to try it. Lately the appreciation has grown so much, even in the last five years.
Alec: What do you think pushed that change? Is it just local chefs pushing the boundaries and encouraging it?
Dan: Partly, and it's also just Columbus growing as a city. In the last 5 years since the pandemic Columbus has welcomed something like tens of thousands of new residents.
Alec: Yeah, oh my gosh, I remember when I first moved to LA like five years back one of the first billboards I saw when I got into town was an ad for people to move to Ohio.
Alec: What’s a restaurant or bakery that you currently love and or admire?
Dan: I recently discovered Poulette bake shop in Colorado near Denver & visited them and I was so impressed. They have these peach fritters that they make from Colorado peaches that are amazing. They were up for a James Beard, so they’ve got this big profile, but their footprint is so small with such a tight compact crew of people just killing it and that really impressed me. I'm always inspired by Sqirl. On a day-to-day basis I'm always enamored with their quality and the approach.
