Years ago, as a local craft boutique business traveled from neighborhood to neighborhood, Connie Howell tagged along with a craft of her own: a basket of cinnamon rolls. Howell hawked her rolls by the dozens from Orem to Ogden with the Deerly Impressive Boutiques, and then the craft folks settled into permanent locations and Howell had to reconsider her marketing plan.
A cozy nook in the old rock building in Fruit Heights gave her a start as the Bun Basket. She then branched out to Bentley Square on Redwood Road before recently returning to Orem with the opening of a new complex called Hearts Desire.Not only did Howell change her business direction, she also added to her menu, offering salads, soups, sandwiches and homemade loaves of bread - a sort of crafty bakery.
Cinnamon rolls ($1.50) come first and are freshly baked at each location daily. About eight inches in diameter, the enormous, spicy spirals contain raisins or not, apple or orange fillings, or the most popular, strawberry cream stuffing. The dough part seems a bit dry originally, but it begins to moisten after a few hours in plastic wrap. A more petite version, the Cinnamon Knot ($.40), satisfies a child-sized appetite with a plain cinnamon-sugar filling. Tops on our list, the Sticky Buns (50 cents) are the perfect blend of gooey caramel and chopped nuts, moist enough on the outside to almost overlook the dry inside.
A selection of white, light wheat or honey wheat slices top predictable sandwich contents, like tuna, chicken salad, turkey, ham and roast beef. Orders allow for regular mayo or the Utah preference for Miracle Whip, two mustards, choice of three cheeses and a wealth of vegetable top-pings. A sampling of turkey and Swiss ($3.95) with a super stack of chopped iceberg proves a satisfying, if ordinary, lunch. I really wanted to eat only the wonderfully textured light wheat bread.
A Stuffed Breadstick ($1.95) brings an egg, tender stick, ham/cream cheese or veggie filled, to the lunch menu. Salads depend on ordinary iceberg lettuce with a sprinkling of other vegetables as a garnish, while the homemade soup options include Cheesy Potato, a dense cheese sauce likely laced with frozen hash brown-type potatoes. A half sandwich plus soup or salad costs $3.75.
Each boutique corner eatery offers a themed interior similar to the whole of the craft center, with a tidy and straightforward display and friendly and resourceful assistants.
Though not necessarily a destination itself, the Bun Basket fills a niche for hungry craft hunters and their families, and definitely conserves mileage for Howell and her formerly portable cinnamon roll business.
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Bun Basket at Bentley Square, 5556 S. Redwood Road, 966-6919.
Bun Basket at the Rock Loft Secret Haven, 281 S. Mountain Road, Fruit Heights, 593-9756.
Bun Basket at Hearts Desire, 172 E. 1300 South, Orem, 221-7744.
Hours vary: All locations open with the craft stores at 10 a.m.; Redwood Road closes at 7 p.m.; Fruit Heights closes at 6 p.m.; Orem closes at 8 p.m.
Payment: All locations accept cash and checks; only Fruit Heights accepts Visa and Mastercard.