Press Releases

In order to accommodate our wholesale growth, our Retail Store (only) will permanently close Friday, December 4th.

Our continued focus on high quality artisan breads has attributed to the growing success of our wholesale bread business, requiring both additional space and work force. As grateful as we are for this growth, it has become necessary for us to make the difficult decision to close the retail store and re-purpose the space for packaging more delicious bread.

This closing is for the retail coffee and pastry shop only.

It has been our pleasure to serve this south Minneapolis neighborhood over the past 17 years. We are very proud that the bakery’s presence has and will continue to add value and security to the neighborhood. We are so grateful for all who enjoyed our rich coffee, sandwiches and pastries.

Many of our highly valued retail employees have accepted positions in the wholesale part of our business, and we are excited that they will remain on our team.

On behalf of the entire team at Franklin Street Bakery, we are grateful for the opportunity to have been of service to this neighborhood over these past years.

For more information on our wholesale bread business, please visit us at www.FranklinStreetBakery.com.

Thank you,
Wayne Kostroski, Co-Owner
Mark Haugen, Co-Owner

For questions, please contact Cuisine Concepts, 952.926.7478

Minneapolis, Minnesota – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved Franklin Street Bakery for certification as a “qualified HUBZone small business concern (SBC)”. This certification makes Franklin Street Bakery eligible for Federal contracts that require HUBZone contractors or subcontractors. For more information about the HUBZone program, please visit www.sba.gov/hubzone.

Franklin Street Bakery is a wholesale bakery that’s been providing the country’s top restaurants, retail stores and food service operations with premium artisan breads, sliced breads, buns, and hoagies since 1994. Our use of the finest ingredients, combined with carefully developed recipes, allows us to create consistent, high quality products that satisfy the diverse needs of our customers. To learn more about Franklin Street Bakery, please visit us online at www.FranklinStreetBakery.com.

Minneapolis, Minnesota – Franklin Street Bakery is excited to announce its recent SQF Certificate of Registration Level 2 – Accredited HACCP Food Safety Plans. The Safe Quality Food Institute (SQF) is recognized worldwide by retailers and foodservice providers who require a rigorous, credible food safety management system. SQF certification allows food safety systems to be verified and validated throughout the food chain, increasing brand protection and consumer confidence.

Franklin Street Bakery’s receipt of this certification allows us to continue our commitment to maintaining safe, quality food practices. We’re proud to service our customers with this enhanced level of quality assurance. For more information about the Safe Quality Food Institute, please visit www.sqfi.com.

Franklin Street Bakery is a wholesale bakery that’s been providing the country’s top restaurants, retail stores and food service operations with premium artisan breads, sliced breads, buns, and hoagies since 1994. Our use of the finest ingredients, combined with carefully developed recipes, allows us to create consistent, high quality products that satisfy the diverse needs of our customers. To learn more about Franklin Street Bakery, please visit us online at www.franklinstreetbakery.com.

PEBBLE BEACH, CALIF

TASTE OF THE NFL, the Party with a Purpose®, announced today that its founder, Wayne Kostroski, was honored with the Pedestal Award at the 24th Annual Legends Invitational in Pebble Beach, Calif., November 14-17. Given to outstanding former NFL players and other notable playmakers, the award was created by Legends Invitational founder, Fred “Curly” Morrison, to honor former players and off-the-field champions who continue to excel through their philanthropic efforts by giving back to the community.

The honor was bestowed upon Kostroski for his tireless commitment to raising awareness and dollars for hunger relief in America. The Minneapolis restaurateur and 2010 James Beard Humanitarian of the year Wayne Kostroski is so passionate about hunger-relief efforts, he’s been called “downright evangelical about the cause.” Now entering its 24th year, Taste of the NFL through its programs and events has distributed more than $22 million to help feed the 37 million Americans, (many of them children and seniors), who have turned to their local food banks for assistance.

Kostroski joins the ranks of former Pedestal Award honorees: Otto Graham, George Blanda, Ed and Steve Sabol of NFL Films, Bruce Bosley, Merlin Olsen, Paul Warfield, Ray Nitchke, Dick Butkus, Earl Morral, Don Shula, Jerry Kramer, Nick Buoniconti, The San Francisco Chapter of the NFL Alumni, Bobby Mitchell, Hugh McElhenny, Eddie LeBarron, Anthony Munoz, Lynn Swann, Jerry Rice, Ted Hendricks, Randall McDaniel, Arnold Palmer and Matt Birk.

The Legends Invitational is a-one-of-a-kind experience where former NFL Greats and other sports legends are paired with corporate executives and business professionals to raise funds for worthy causes with three days of play at Pebble Beach, Spanish Bay and Spyglass Hill golf courses on the spectacular Monterey coastline in California. Some of this year’s NFL Greats and sports legends who participated in the tournament included Marus Allen, Eric Dickerson, Ted Hendricks, Anthony Munoz, Chris Doleman, Randall McDaniel, J. R. Celski, Dan Jansen, Mike Hanyes, Paul Warfield, Jan Stenerud and Paul Krause.

Since 1992, the Taste of the NFL (a 501c3 organization) has rallied the country’s top chefs and the NFL’s greatest players to raise money in support of food banks throughout the United States. The season long efforts culminate each year with the Taste of the NFL’s Party with a Purpose®. Held on the eve of Super Bowl XLIX on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at WestWorld in Scottsdale, this year’s star-studded fundraising event brings together exceptional cuisine, prominent chefs from around the country, NFL players, coaches, legends and more, all to support the fight against hunger. Company support for this year’s 24th anniversary Party With a Purpose® includes E & J Gallo, Low T Centers, City of Scottsdale, Valley GMC Dealers, American Family Insurance, Scottsdale CVB, and Arizona-based AVNET.

As part of the organization’s commitment to rallying the country’s top chefs to raise awareness and money, TASTE OF THE NFL has appointed Andrew Zimmern as this year’s national culinary host for its Party with a Purpose®. Zimmern, the creator, host and co-executive producer of Travel Channel’s hit series, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern, will lead the charge along side national celebrity spokesperson, Alyssa Milano. Tickets for Party with a Purpose® are on sale now and can be purchased at www.tasteofthenfl.com.

New York, NY (February 1, 2010) – Just in time for this year’s Super Bowl, the James Beard Foundation has kicked off the 2010 James Beard Foundation Awards and announced today that Wayne Kostroski, Founder of the annual Taste of the NFL celebration, is the recipient of the 2010 Humanitarian of the Year award. Mr. Kostroski will be honored at this year’s James Beard Foundation Awards, the nation’s most prestigious honors for culinary professionals, in an awards ceremony taking place on Monday, May 3, 2010 at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. The humanitarian of the Year award is given to an individual or organization whose work in the realm of food has improved the lives of others and benefited society at large. This year’s award is
presented by the Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism.

“We are thrilled to announce that Wayne Kostroski has been selected as our 2010 Humanitarian of the Year,” says Susan Ungaro, President of the James Beard Foundation. “Through the Taste of the NFL and his tireless efforts over the years, Wayne has created a national platform that continues to raise awareness and millions of dollars for hunger relief not just in the culinary community, but across the entire country.”

Mr. Kostroski founded the Taste of the NFL in 1992 in an effort to create a national platform that addresses the needs of the hungry and homeless by raising awareness and money through special events and programs. Through the hard work and dedication of hundreds of volunteers, the Taste of the NFL’s Party With A Purpose event takes place each year on the eve of the Super Bowl. At the
ticketed Party With A Purpose, thirty-two of the finest chefs from around the country (one from each NFL city) serve up their signature specialties alongside a current, Hall of Fame, or alumni player from each of the NFL teams, with 100% of the event’s proceeds going to support local and national hunger organizations. Since its inception, the Taste of the NFL has distributed in excess of $9 million. The organization has also drafted a dozen NFL teams to create and execute events in their own cities to benefit local food banks and these events have generated more than $4 million to date.

Article Summary: Franklin Street Bakery’s 20,000 square foot facility, on the corner of 11th and Franklin Avenues, in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis, is part of an award winning urban renewal project. The bakery formerly was located several blocks west on Franklin Avenue from its current location in a 7,000 square foot building. Theresa Carr met Franklin Street Bakery co-owner Wayne Kostroski and convinced him to build the a new bakery facility on the corner of 11th and Franklin, the former location of a gas station known for being a violent place.

Carr, the executive director of the American Indian Neighborhood Development Corporation, was partnered with community groups and the local police department to revitalize the neighborhood, a project born when then Minneapolis mayor Sharon Sayles Belton asked Carr to help clean up that corner in 1999. The American Indian Neighborhood Development Corporation owned seven blocks of Franklin Avenue and added the office space, medical clinic, and gas station on the corner to its holdings.

Mark Haugen, co-owner of Franklin Street Bakery, asserts the bakery is proud to be a part of the urban renewal. “We want to be a place for people to come to,” he says. Through the building’s tall windows, customers and residents can watch the activities of the bakery. Furthermore, keeping the bakery on Franklin Avenue allowed them to keep 65 jobs, as most of the employees live in the Philips neighborhood. Elias Simbana, Franklin Street Bakery’s production manager says, “My people feel proud of the new bakery.”

Coinciding with the opening of the new Franklin Street Bakery, the American Indian Neighborhood Development Corporation was one of two organizations nationwide to receive MetLife Foundation’s Community-Police Partnership award.

All the hard work has paid off, according to residents. “I think this is what the neighborhood needed. I want to help people bring more businesses here and make the neighborhood safer. In the last couple years there’s been a lot of change. It was really bad. Now it looks really beautiful,” says German Gonzalez, a Phillips resident.

Full text of the article by Lucy Y. Her is available from the Paid Archives section of the StarTribune.com