La Salle’s Millstone Bakery, Dollinger Farm deemed sweet tourism successes

Designed to help connect locals and visitors alike with businesses offering artisan products and experiences across the state, the Illinois Office of Tourism’s Illinois Made program has put the spotlight on more than 250 innovative small enterprises during the past seven years. Two popular businesses from the region – Millstone Bakery in La Salle and Dollinger Family Farm in Channahon – were honored this spring and added to the esteemed list.

Daniel Thomas, deputy director of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Office of Tourism, and Bob Navarro, president and CEO of Heritage Corridor Destinations, visited both locations in May to celebrate the accomplishments of two tourism-friendly businesses. The Illinois Made program was created by the tourism office in 2016 to celebrate and advertise both the small businesses and artisans contributing to the state’s ever-growing handcrafted culture.

The Illinois Made list includes other fan-favorite Starved Rock Country makers such as Boggio’s Orchard and Produce, Fine Field Pottery, Illinois Sparkling Co., Star Union Spirits, Starved Rock Hot Glass and Tangled Roots Brewing Co.

Millstone Bakery, located at 821 First St. in La Salle, is an artisan shop specializing in handcrafted breads and pastries. An ever-growing selection of baked-from-scratch goods, use of high-quality ingredients and a small-town-hangout atmosphere have earned Millstone rave reviews and devoted customers since it opened in June 2022. Now, it officially has been recognized with the prestigious award from the Illinois Office of Tourism.

“The 2023 Illinois Makers class represents the largest group since the start of the program, bringing the Maker total to 276,” Thomas said. “This year’s inductees offer products ranging from locally sourced and fermented kombucha to handmade, custom golf clubs. Millstone’s collaborative ethos and quality baked goods make them an obvious addition to our initiative.”

Owned and operated by Kent and Erin Maze, with a team of talented bakers (including Anna Harmon, who was selected as a finalist in the Greatest Baker competition, an event featuring the best bakers from across the U.S.), Millstone was born out of a passion to do something for downtown La Salle. They loved visiting bakeries while traveling, but noticed there weren’t many places to get fresh, from-scratch bread and pastries in the region – they knew they could restore a local bakery tradition to the area and infuse the process with flavors and techniques from around the world.

The breads and pastries at Millstone are a labor of love, and can take 26 hours to make from the time they are begun with scratch ingredients to when they’re pulled out of the showcased, double-decker, European-style, stone oven. The bakery’s core line of pastries includes chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, pain au chocolat croissants made with semi-dark chocolate, ham and cheese croissants, almond croissants and classic butter croissants. You’ll also find an expansive selection of artisan breads, including their popular sourdough loaves.

“This year’s class of Illinois Makers is one of our most diverse; in every corner of our state, people from all walks of life are creating delicious food and sharing expert craftsmanship,” Gov. J.B. Pritzker said. “Illinois is sending out the message loud and clear that our state is open for business, and it’s the perfect place for businesses big and small to call home.”

Another nearby business – Dollinger Family Farm – was honored with one of the Illinois Made awards (the physical awards are beautiful hand-thrown plates made by a previous Illinois Made honoree with clay harvested from the Mississippi River). The long-running Dollinger agritourism destination, located just a few minutes from the historic I&M Canal trail in rural Channahon, is renowned for its enormous assortment of pumpkins, of which Illinois is the nation’s leading producer. Much more than just a pumpkin path though, the idyllic farm and store also offer their own homemade fudge, doughnuts and kettle corn. Their famed honey, harvested onsite at the picturesque farm, even has a faint pumpkin flavor.

At Dollinger, fall family fun is served with a side of local history. The farm has been in the Dollinger family since 1852, and was the original site of the town of Dresden, originally platted in 1836. “Grandma’s House,” one of the more prominent buildings on the site, was once a stop on the stagecoach line. The “Mule Barn” was used to switch mule teams on the I&M Canal that runs along the farm just to the south. Dollinger Family Farm is a woman-owned business and a popular seasonal employment spot for local youth.

“I’m thrilled we can honor Millstone Bakery and Dollinger Family Farm today,” Navarro said. “Homegrown businesses like these are what keep visitors coming back to our region; they can taste the extra care and attention that go into these products, and that makes for the best word of mouth. We want visitors to enjoy our natural attractions, then extend their stays to experience exciting and innovative businesses like these.”