Single mother opens bakery shop in Preston. “It was something I’ve always wanted to do”

Rae's Bake Shoppe & Cafe, 46 S State St., Preston, Idaho

PRESTON – After working 12 hour days at Presto Products Company in Lewiston, Michelle “Rae” Furniss decided it was time to convert those hours into something more enjoyable.

“I just couldn’t shake it,” Furniss said. “It was something I’ve always wanted to do and I felt like I could do it well.”

What the Preston, Idaho resident couldn’t shake was the desire to open a cafe specializing in homemade pastries, breads and fresh food.

Furniss quit her job at Presto, borrowed money from her brother to get started and “sort of jumped,” she admitted.

Rae’s Bake Shoppe & Cafe, located at 46 South State Street in Preston, opened it’s doors on June 3 and is currently serving breakfast and lunch.

The menu offers everything from quiche, omelets, sandwiches and salads. Then—there’s the bakery.

“I’ve always baked,” Furniss said. “When I was eight or nine year old, I started cooking and loved it.”

A few years ago, she bought a twelve quart Hobart mixer off eBay from a man in Mexico. Along with the mixer came some of his recipes, in Spanish. “I was able to translate them. I could understand some and what I couldn’t, I Googled,” she said.

One of those recipes was for a sweet roll. She slightly “tweaked” the ingredients, named it the “Texas” Cinnamon Roll and now serves it up on a twelve inch plate.

In addition to the cinnamon rolls, Furniss sells fresh baked muffins, cheesecake croissants, brownies, cookies and other pastries.

Since she opened a few months ago, Furniss has been developing a number of Keto recipes, mostly for selfish reasons. She says eating too many carbs affected her blood pressure and she began retaining water. She came up with a Keto bread recipe that allowed her to cut down on the carbs and still enjoy a slice of bread. It has become so popular, she said, “I’ve had people come from Logan to buy it.”

She currently sells loaves of Keto bread and wraps and would eventually like to brand the cafe as a Keto bakery with low carb and sugar free options on the menu.

The single mother, with three children at home, says the days are long and “it’s been a bit crazy. But it’s enjoyable to me and I find it fulfilling,” she said.

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1 Comment

  • Tim August 7, 2019 at 10:52 am Reply

    That’s a great idea and a thumb up for Rae Furniss, her story and hard work is a very big lesson to humanity, making time out of no time to survive. My suggestion to her is to venture also into Keto baking which will give her more customers and patronage. For more on keto cookbook, check here, hope it help someone also>>>http://bit.ly/2LOwRJd

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