Risen Roll Bakery Opens in Avon
Photography Provided
When a Risen Roll Bakery franchise opened in Avon in August, it faced several unforeseen challenges, not the least of which was a global pandemic.
It turns out that in difficult times, people still will leave the house for doughnuts.
We believe people will always come back for really good food, says Owner James Naaman.
He and his wife Rachelle are longtime Hendricks County residents with five children. Naaman has always been in the food industry, and he and Rachelle wanted to open up their own business.
When a Risen Roll Bakery opened in Fishers in December, the couple decided to try it. They immediately fell in love with the atmosphere, the decor and the incredible food, which ranges from doughnuts to cinnamon rolls to jams and jellies, and many Amish market staples such as cheese, butter, noodles and more.
We left that day with all the goods, Rachelle says. We went home, shared it with the kids, and researched the company. We truly believe in this product. We were so taken by the goodness, quality and freshness of it.
Risen Roll Bakery was founded in 2001 by an Amish couple who had generations of family recipes they would bake and sell from their front porch. In 2004 they opened the first Risen Roll Bakery in Middlebury, Indiana. In 2009 the owner sold the company to a non-Amish family, and franchising began. While the company is not Amish-owned anymore, the Amish heritage remains. All baked goods are free of preservatives.
There are more than 30 types of yeast doughnuts to choose from. Cinnamon Caramel is a fan favorite, and customers might have a tough time choosing from the wide variety of cream-filled and jelly-filled selections.
Doughnuts arent the only sweet treats offered. Cinnamon rolls, cookies, cream pies, fruit pies, pumpkin pies, breads and rolls are also typically on the menu.
The shelves in each store are lined with pickled beets, pickled garlic, jams, jellies, sauces, salsas and more. There are even frozen pie crusts, Amish noodles, chicken and beef bases, and cheeseballs.
Its really all the essentials from an Amish market, Rachelle says. Thats the neat piece of it for us. You can purchase a lot more than doughnuts.
A customer recently came in to gush about the raspberry pie, saying his mother used to make one, and that eating such a pie from Risen Roll brought back memories.
Bringing back those fond memories of people with these wholesome products that live up to the hype really means a lot to us, James says.
All baked products are made fresh daily at the companys central bakery in Middlebury, and delivered to the stores each day.
The space is modern and cozy with nods to Amish life, including photos and Amish-made wagons displaying products.
The couple has registered Risen Roll Bakery with the Avon Chamber of Commerce. They are already giving back to the community, and held a Dine to Donate event to support Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Hendricks County.
We look to have many more events like that with the community, James says. All we want is to be the best we can be.
Rachelle and James are passionate about the west side, and part of their motivation for opening the store in Avon was to increase the sense of community and goodness in their side of town.
The north side of Indy always gets the good stuff, Rachelle says. We really wanted to bring that goodness to the west side of town to Hendricks County.
The decision was made in January of this year to open the business, but the opening was delayed for two months because of the global pandemic. When they opened in August, business didnt seem to suffer one bit.
To this day Im grateful we did it, Rachelle says. It really is a family affair.
The couples daughter Natalie is the assistant manager. One of their high school sons works there, and their youngest son has summer plans to work there as well.
Not only is it a family affair, but really it is women-run, James says. Im really proud of that. Our General Manager Stacy Frazer is a great asset. All the decisions are made by women.
One of those decisions, made by Rachelle, was to have gift baskets available for the holidays. The staff will take preorders for holiday pies, cakes, rolls and more.
Rachelle and James are also proud of their staff, which consists of many high school and college students.
Its been a rewarding experience watching them grow these last two months, James says. Theyve received many positive reviews from our guests.
While the bakery has only been open for a couple months, Rachelle and James have seen people visit from as far as Zionsville and Terre Haute.
Avon, and really Hendricks County, have embraced us, James says. Were excited to be a part of this town, and were forever grateful for that. We want to surprise and delight our guests. Thats our main goal.
Risen Roll Bakery is located at 9263 East U.S. Highway 36 in Avon. For more info, call 317-384-1024 and visit risenroll.com.
