Ardapple earned a degree in business administration and management from the University of Northern Colorado. Prior to entering the food service industry, she worked for Metropolitan Life.
She and her husband have one son.
Please tell us about your background: education, professional background, family, etc.
My childhood home was Morrison, located in the northwest area of the state. Being a child born in the 1950s, I was surrounded by women of the kitchen who gardened, sewed, and cooked from scratch. My father was self-employed. It’s this background that’s afforded me the opportunity to make those skills into a profession. I attended the University of Northern Colorado, where I received a degree in business administration and management. Those were the days when the corporate world was the emphasis. Upon graduating in 1979, I sold insurance for a year for Metropolitan Life in Greeley, Colo. I realized early on the corporate environment wasn’t for me.
My first paid cooking position was with Apple Valley Family Restaurant in Greeley. I can remember vividly how the owners wouldn’t accept my application on my initial attempt because of my complete lack of experience. It was only after a convincing conversation that I really could cook that they gave me a chance. As part of my application process, I was required to make an apple pie, BBQ sauce, and buttermilk biscuits all from scratch. That job was the beginning of what’s now been nearly 25 years in the practice of food and people.
I relocated to Peoria in 1982. I came with the thought that it would be a summer stop, and then I would return to Colorado. As it turned out, I went to work at O’Leary’s Restaurant as a prep cook, working a 40-hour week and making $3.35 per hour. Simply put, I loved O’Leary’s. It was an environment where I could grow and try all my ideas. In 1984, I was given the opportunity to purchase O’Leary’s. For the following 10-and-a-half years, my staff and I worked diligently to offer the Peoria area a restaurant that made everything from scratch and took care of people.
Without my family’s support, none of what I’ve done or may do in the future would ever be possible. My husband, Chris Dierker, and son, Alex, are the backbone I rely on to keep trying the opportunity that may be around the next corner.
Who or what first interested you in cooking and the food industry? Did your family help develop that interest?
According to my mother, I said as a small child I wanted to have a restaurant. I don’t have a conscious recollection that making a living in the foodservice industry was ever a burning desire. Rather, I feel it was something that simply evolved and now is my being to the core. On a professional level, the foodservice industry always has presented timely challenges that have positioned me for personal and professional growth. These challenges continue to provide the next steps that propel me to stay in a constant state of evolution. More importantly, on a personal level, I love to eat. My profession allows me the opportunity to consume wonderful food made from scratch without having an entire batch at home. My family raised me with an appreciation of taking care of people. I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to fulfill that appreciation in an environment where it’s like you have company coming to your house every day, and that company should be greeted with a smile every time.
How did you move from providing baked goods to a local restaurant to opening your own business? Was it a difficult decision to go out on your own?
The decision to incorporate Apple’s Bakery outside of the kitchens of O’Leary’s Restaurant was a natural progression for growth. Apple’s was founded from restaurant customers asking if I would bake pies for their Thanksgiving celebrations back in the mid-1980s. I used the baking as a sideline business that allowed me to earn extra dollars to assist in paying CILCO bills for the restaurant. Some may recall O’Leary’s was rather drafty, and that caused very steep utility bills. I was already making all the breads and desserts for the restaurant. Once customers began requesting desserts to be consumed at home, I wondered if they would be interested in having me make sweet rolls and cookies. Ginny and Joel Schwartz are to be credited with opening a door for my products that I’d never imagined. The Schwartzes were regular restaurant customers. One evening, Ginny pulled me aside and asked, “Why aren’t more fudge drop cookies made available for sale?” I explained it was important that the bakery products were baked each morning, and I didn’t want to have possible waste. She spoke with her husband, Joel, and we began packaging and delivering our day-old products to the Ben Schwartz grocery stores. Each night, the hostess would package what was left over, and the next day, a staff member would drive this beat-up old Pepsi van to the stores. I was blessed at the response, and each time additional items were created, they placed stress on the building’s space to accommodate both the restaurant and the bakery. So, it was just natural to expand. The decision to open an additional business would’ve been much more difficult had I not had the opportunity to open on the same property as the restaurant. Had that not been the case, Apple’s Bakery most likely wouldn’t have been created as it was.
How has your bakery changed over the years? Tell us about your company today and what it offers.
The bakery was originated as a feeder kitchen for O’Leary’s Restaurant. In 1989, the bakery was moved out of the restaurant kitchen and into a separate facility on the Willow Knolls Road property. Since its origin, I believe Apple’s continues to grow into a role in the community, which is completely focused on satisfying the customer the old fashioned way. Apple’s has grown from a two-person bakery to a staff of more than 20. As the business has evolved, there has been a continuity of no compromise on the product. Though we may offer additional services such as catering, entertainment, delivery, and specialty products, the apples still have to be peeled for the apple pie; the frosting still has to be made with butter, powdered sugar, and cream; the chocolate chip cookie dough still must be made daily; and sweet rolls still are rolled by hand.
The mornings are probably my favorite time at the bakery. Each day begins with opening the doors to customers greeted with fresh brewed coffee and roller racks of still-warm pastries oozing with luscious fillings and icing dripping onto the trays. Then, on the stoves in the back, pots are beginning to simmer freshly cut vegetables that will be turned into flavorful pots of soups for our lunch customers. Literally from early morning through the afternoon, our kitchen is filled with comforting aromas that satisfy the heart and soul. Recently, I said to our staff that our business is really about being ready to have company come to visit all day long. We have a steady stream of company that stops by to say hello and has the confidence in our business to provide them with foods that make them smile.
You’ve recently added Friday night music at Apple’s. Tell us about that.
Apple’s Bakery Northside Market has grown into a friendly neighborhood gathering place. Though there are several venues in the area that offer live music, the staff and I thought it would be great to offer live music at the end of the workweek. Currently, our entertainment schedule offers open mike night on Wednesdays. This is focused on the younger set that needs a place to try out their talents. A student-friendly menu selection is offered, and it’s really not very different from having a group of kids over to the house to hang out. Friday evenings offer a fun, relaxing way to end the workweek. The music offered may be light jazz, rhythm and blues, or improvisation of some type. The focus is to gather and relax. Saturday nights have begun to develop with a weekly house band concept. Our customers like the informal atmosphere to have a glass of wine or beer, order a pizza, and kick back. The real point is that we’re a neighborhood joint that likes to try different ideas that are fun, comfortable, and have you enjoying a moment with friends, family, and one another.
How do the holidays change your day-to-day operations at Apple’s?
The holiday season begins the day before Thanksgiving and runs through the week of Christmas. The level of business requires the utmost in organization and preparation. The casual eye may view this period as complete chaos, but actually it’s a constant stream of production. Thanksgiving gives us an onslaught of pie and dessert orders. Since the holiday is always on Thursday, it seems like it creeps up on you as a customer, and then the reality that company is coming sets in. We get many panicky phone orders from customers who’ve forgotten to order their pumpkin pie. I tell staff this day is actually the easiest on the mind. Customers will order desserts and then buy the extras when they come in. Then Christmas cookie season begins. We add roughly 15 varieties of handmade Christmas cookies to our regular list. I’m very proud of our Christmas cookie assortment trays. They’re just beautiful and delicious. The days leading up to Christmas are very demanding. The Christmas Eve baking is the most challenging. First of all, the staff is exhausted. Secondly, we’re tired of making so much of the same thing day after day. And thirdly, the customer, also, has consumed much over the month, so the orders become extremely specific. I’ve found there continue to be more traditions surrounding Christmas than Thanksgiving. So the orders are more “one of this and one of that,” and we don’t have as much of the extras available. It’s challenging for us to plan so you have what you want when you want it. A good holiday season will be like adding an additional month and a half of sales to the year.
What’s most in demand from your company during the holiday season? How do you deal with the increased workload?
Christmas cookies continue to be the huge draw. These recipes are the same as many people use at home probably. I regularly hear from customers who buy our Christmas cookies and then put them in their containers at home to give as gifts because they don’t have the time to do the baking. Icing sugar cookies is probably the most difficult to fit into the schedule. We’ve begun to utilize some high school and college students to assist in that area. The best way for us to deal with the increased workload is to just buckle down and prepare. The kitchen staff is very close knit and backs one another up daily. Everyone gets very tired, but we’ve found that, together, we can get through anything. Yes, there are more hours for me, just as there are for the entire staff. Over the past several seasons, I’ve chosen to use Sundays as a catch up and special projects day. The business is closed to the public on Sundays. This makes it a good day for me to come in, turn up the music, and bake with no distractions. Sometimes it becomes unique family time. My husband and son come in and help with some of the tasks as we catch up on family conversations.
How far ahead do you prepare or start to plan for the holiday season?
I love it when a new person walks into my office. There’s a calendar stapled month to month around the upper perimeter of the walls. It’s common to be speaking with an individual about the timing of advertising, purchasing, or scheduling of something, and I automatically look up to my wall calendar. Before I know it, I see the person across of me look up and stare. Then this person says, “Wow, you can see the entire year at a glance.” I know this is a very simplistic way of thinking ahead, but each season and holiday has significance to our organization. We literally begin thinking about the Thanksgiving/Christmas season right after the first of the year. It’s important not only to review sales/expense figures but, more importantly, how well the purchasing of supplies was done. We’re a company where status quo isn’t acceptable. Understanding the “season” is very important in approaching the ancillary holiday opportunities for the rest of the year.
During the holidays, how do you balance the increased business demands with the increased demands on your personal time?
Balance, for me, is a year-round project. Family, business, and community interests are a constant juggle for me, but somehow it all works out. As a family, we live the holiday spirit throughout the year. Without my family, none of it would work. My sister always cooks Thanksgiving dinner, and I can sit, relax, and nap. My mother-in-law always makes the one pumpkin pie I eat because I didn’t have to make it. My husband is there with a hug at the end of the day and a glass of wine. My son and his friends understand I go to bed early, so they’re great at keeping the noise level low. Before you know it, Christmas Eve is upon us, and we’re together as a family. Here’s the best part: I cook the Christmas day meal. That may sound crazy, but it’s great fun for me. My mom started the tradition of an overnight coffeecake we eat while we open presents. Last year, the tradition was passed on to my son, and he now makes it. Christmas is the day I get to prepare whatever I’m in the mood to eat. The menu is usually eclectic and too much, but again, that’s tradition.
What’s the most difficult element of running your own business? The best aspect?
Probably the greatest challenge I have with running my own business is when there’s staff turnover and the resulting training. Yet, at the same time, this can be very rewarding. Our old fashioned approach to people and food can be a brand new language to new employees. Absolutely the best aspect is the people. I have the opportunity to meet and work with some wonderful people, and that’s what it really is all about.
What separates your locally owned business from the chain bakeries/caterers?
Our approach to our customers and products sets us apart. First, the person at the counter or placing an order on the phone can be defined just as a “customer.” Webster’s defines a customer as “a patron, buyer, or shopper.” In Apple’s, this customer is part of our family. We want them to have the confidence that we value their purchase and have worked critically hard to prepare the product to the best of our abilities. I want the customer to leave happy that they’ve chosen Apple’s to be part of their household. Secondly, our product comes from the basic, old fashioned approach of good food. Our style is making it from scratch. For example, there are many companies that would like to sell me frosting in a bucket, apple pie filling in a can, soup in a freezer bag, or even cookie dough ready for the oven. I suppose I could use these products and refer to them as fresh baked or home style, but then I just wouldn’t be comfortable opening my doors. I believe deeply that each person who comes in the door will have a better day by being waited on with a smile and the scratch baking that’s done every day. Apple’s isn’t fancy. Apple’s is the way it used to be, and that makes us unique today.
You recently began mail order for the holidays. How has that changed holiday scheduling at Apples?
With the addition of Apple Valley Gourmet Meats and Treats, our storeroom shelves are stocked with shipping cartons and tins ready to be filled. The catalog has taken the business to a new level of planning and organization. Staff has had to learn Internet ordering, an 800 number, UPS shipping, and new product presentation. Hopefully, the additional planning will pay off in increased sales. This new growth challenges us to determine the best use of equipment and time to produce the highest yield. I must admit this is a work in progress, and you should check back with me after this holiday season.
Tell about your joint ventures with Uno’s and Echo Valley Meats.
My partnerships with Echo Valley Meats and Pizzeria Uno’s came a year apart from one another, and I’m learning with both. As an independent business in a rapidly changing, franchise-dominated world, these partnerships are assisting in the future growth of Apple’s. I’m proud to have my bakery products showcased next to the quality products of Echo Valley. This relationship assists in broadening my customer base without leaving my current facility. It’s been an exciting challenge to do the research on how to present our product to a person living states away. Both Dave Alwan and I want there to be a huge “wow” factor when that person opens our box of meats and treats.
My relationship with Uno’s allows me to present an evening venue to the North side. Whether for dine in or carry out, Uno’s is a great product that partners with a good bottle of wine—or cookies for the kids—and Apple’s Bakery offers both. Uno’s is interesting for me to deal with as an independent, though. I’m able to get an understanding of what the differences are between being an independent and having a franchise operate under the same roof.
Is there anything else you’d like to discuss that hasn’t been asked?
At the end of the day, it’s my wish that if you’ve visited Apple’s, ordered a pie from Apple Valley to be sent to a relative, enjoyed an Uno’s deep dish pizza and a box of cookies, or have been in for a glass of wine and listened to live music recently, that you know my staff and I really appreciate your support. It seems like we’re still trying to figure out who we want to be when we grow up, but without a great community, it wouldn’t be worth it. So, please remember to be thankful for your family, work hard at whatever you do, and volunteer some time in the community. TPW