Thirsty Whale Bakery

Reviewing donuts has been a long time occurring practice for me. I haven't always recorded myself, but every time I have tried one since I could remember, I have a process: I analyze it, I taste it, I critique it. Believe it or not, the video reviews of my lovely face started when Thirsty Whale Bakery announced they’d be introducing donuts to their shop. The day they opened for donuts, I received some messages from fellow Instagrammers asking if I had been there, what I thought of them, and how they compare to the rest of the Twin Cities. At this time about a year ago, I was in the midst of the “foodie game” and felt a sense of accomplishment since people reached out to ME for advice. I then took it as an opportunity to share my thoughts live for everyone who cared or was looking for a review. I headed there on day 2 and bought myself a assorted box which gave me a feel for just about everything they offered. When I got back to my truck, I set up my phone (camera) on the dash, pressed record and the rest is history. I knew these guys were something special and was so glad to had found a little hidden gem in NE Mpls. From that moment on, Zach Vraa then went from foodie to the Donut Guy who reviews donuts in his truck.

Thirsty Whale's donuts are all hand made, hand rolled, hand dipped and hand decorated. Nothing frozen, no pre-mixed batters, or short cuts. Unlike most shops and bakeries, the inside is small without tables or chairs. Behind the counter are the shelves of donuts displaying just about every variety under the sun. The menu is written right above on the large chalkboard wall including the daily specials. They get their inspiration from anywhere and by anyone of their staff members. In the back of the kitchen, a sheet of paper is posted where they write down crazy ideas for the next Baker's Special. Some of the most crazy creations they've made are Sweet Pickle and Hot Cheetos. I was so upset I wasn't around to try them, but they definitely brought a crowd and were unlike anything else! I'm dying to see what crazy combo they come up with next. Pizza Donut? Mac and Cheese Donut? Sweet and Sour Pork Donut? We will have to wait and find out.

Besides donuts, Thirsty Whale Bakery is known for custom wedding cakes, which started their business back in 2016. Owners, Megan and Kyle Baker, opened up the shop after realizing they wanted to do things their way, on their terms, and have the satisfaction of running a bakery themselves. Kyle, the donut man, started his donut career as a fryer at Cub, and got into a couple other gigs before ending up at Blue Egg Bakery where he met Megan, a nationally recognized pastry chef. The two love the bakery business as much as one another. You can tell from Kyle's donut tattoo on his neck and Megan's cake tattoo on hers. It's a symbol of their passion and love.

One of the things that's most important to them is having a staff around them that they can have fun with enjoy being around. That's why their whole staff is their group of family and friends. First up is Kyle's sister, Jen Lehman, who used to teach 5-12 Math. If you ask me, working for a bakery is an easy choice! In addition, Amber Settlemore, another award winning baker and good friend of Megans, was brought on as well. And you didn't hear this from me, but Amber might dabble with bread making in the near future... Each employee is an integral part of the process from their skills and friendship. And after spending almost all your time in the kitchen, you better have people around that wont drive you insane. The thing I love most about these guys is that they ultimately just want to have fun and that's all you can ask for.

Now I know this blog is focused on donuts, but these guys truly stand out with their custom and wedding cakes. It makes up about 90% of their business and it's what they want to be known for. Cakes are 100% custom from flavor, decoration, theme and size. They've made cakes featuring dragons climbing up a castle, drunken unicorn‘s, a bottle of Patron, The Sorting Hat from Hogwarts, and Nike sneakers. They are true works of art. Megan's cakes have been featured on Kare 11, the Food Network and WCCO. They do about 10-15 wedding cakes per weekend in the summer and are starting to now do many more donut weddings as well. So if you're not in to donuts (if you're not, why are you even reading this?!) go get a custom cake for your next big party!

*PS - An expansion to their bakery is coming soon*

Price: $1-$3

Price a Dozen: No set price

Crowd Favorite: Anything ending in "Bomb" - Reese's Bomb, Oreo Bomb, F Bomb

My Favorite: Lemon Poppy-seed Old Fashioned ((Haven't tried the bombs)

Hours

Friday: 6:30am - 6pm

Saturday & Sunday: 7am - 3pm

Address

4149 Fremont Ave N.

Minneapolis, MN 55412

thirstywhalebakery.com