Josey Baking Co.
Photos by Emma Highfill, Rose Wheat Photography
Josey Baking Co. is not just a restaurant, it’s a destination. As part of the Westboro Mart, the storefront is unique and beautiful. The smells of fresh breads, bacon and coffee greet customers as they open the door, and a welcoming atmosphere makes customers feel at ease.
Josey Baking Co. offers a wide menu that changes daily, with everything prepared fresh in small batches. Kolaches are one of their signature dishes, made with a soft, slightly sweet potato bread, filled with sweet or savory flavors. The cinnamon rolls are created from scratch in a three-day process, and the sea salt chocolate chip cookies sell out every day. The restaurant also serves delicious coffee from Blue Jazz, roasted right here in Topeka.
Lyndsey and Joe Vawter opened Josey Baking Co. in the fall of 2016, and they were honestly stunned by how quickly the business became a success.
Originally, Joe planned to continue with his full time job while Lyndsey worked full time with the bakery, but the volume of business was so great that the couple found themselves working long into the night and returning very early in the morning to fulfill the demand. Josey Baking Co. was an absolute hit, and word of mouth brought in more customers every day.
Lyndsey brings the passion for baking and the training and experience to produce amazing baked goods. She began baking at a young age with her mother and pursued an education in the culinary arts followed by hands-on jobs in baking, including work as a pastry cook. Lyndsey focuses most of her work in the shop on specialty and off menu items, such as croissants and special orders.
“Customers will say that they spent years in France, and Lyndsey’s croissants bring them back there,” Joe said.
Joe has what he calls “a gift for gab,” a description that makes Lyndsey laugh.
“He’s really good at connecting with people and building relationships,” Lyndsey said.
“I can say hi with a first name to more than half of our customers,” Joe said. “I want to know people on a first name basis, that’s important to me.”
Lyndsey also gives credit to friends and family for helping them get the shop ready for business and working to spread the word before they opened. Cleaning, building cabinets and decorating was done with the help of their support network. The couple said that this made the design and decorating personal and customized.
“They know what we like and what we’re comfortable with,” Joe said, “so our personalities are all over Josey.”
The two also noted that they had what they call “dumb luck”i n hiring an incredible staff who work hard and care about treating people right.
“We struck gold,” Lyndsey said. “Our staff are customer service gurus who demonstrate maniacal work ethic.”
Of course, every business has its challenges. For Josey Baking Co., the biggest challenge has been knowing when to say no to more orders.
“It’s hard,” Lyndsey said. “We want to make people happy, but if we take on too much, we won’t put out the product that people deserve. We simply want to do our best and make honest good food, fresh, and from scratch every day.”
