Some members of the Uncle Mike’s team have been with us for a few years. Others have practically grown up here.
Andrea falls into that second group.
She started working at Uncle Mike’s when she was just 15 years old, helping behind the scenes after school on Friday nights. Nine years later, she’s now a store manager at our East Mason location—and along the way, she’s learned just about every side of the bakery.
From After-School Shifts to Store Manager
Andrea’s first job at Uncle Mike’s was helping bag and pack products. Her Friday-night shifts included packing store and wholesale orders, with one of her favorite jobs being getting everything ready for the farmers market.
One memory from those early days has stuck with her.
“I remember Mike coming in bright and early with joyful energy whenever I was there,” Andrea says. “He noticed I was a bit behind, so he helped me and showed me his tricks for picking up our gooey cream cheese cinnamon rolls and getting them into the individual packaging.”
After a long week of school and a tiring Friday-night shift, she remembers how much Mike’s attitude stood out.
“His energy and smile were so contagious. Just being around him gave me a boost of energy.”
Andrea kept learning. Within months, she was helping prepare bread, buns and donuts for the oven and fryer. She learned to knead dough, ice donuts, fill and decorate cronuts, and became fascinated by everything that went into making the products customers saw in our cases each day.
“I loved learning about all of it!”
When our East Mason location opened, Mike and Mary encouraged Andrea to make the move from production to working with customers as a clerk. She started at East Mason in October 2018 while she was still in high school.
In March 2020, before she had even graduated, Andrea was promoted into management. A year or two later, she became store manager.
Today, after nine years with Uncle Mike’s, it’s still the learning that she enjoys most.
“I’ve learned a lot, and that’s honestly my favorite thing about this job,” she says. “It has been my one and only job.”
Life as a Store Manager
There isn’t really a “typical” day for Andrea.
Her mornings can include getting bread, buns, bagels and other products ready for the shelves, labeling products, checking customer orders, reviewing inventory and expiration dates, helping customers, making sure the deli has what it needs and jumping into the deli during a rush.
She also creates the day’s to-do lists, checks registers and gets closing lists ready for the high school employees coming in later.
And during the holidays, her days can start very early.
“Sometimes that is me triple-checking orders after the closers are gone and being the first one to come in to get the store ready before everyone else at 2 or 3 in the morning,” she says.
A lot of that work happens where customers never see it.
For Andrea, the goal is simple: “Doing what I can to make my team’s day go smoother.”
Growing Alongside Her Team
Andrea says one of her favorite parts of managing East Mason is working with her team and watching people grow.
She has seen employees start as high school freshmen and continue working at Uncle Mike’s into college. She’s also been there to celebrate longtime team members like Amy and Nancy as they retired.
“I’ve been lucky enough to create great memories with a lot of amazing people I’ve met here at Uncle Mike’s—from when I was in high school, through COVID, and now.”
She says the different personalities and strengths on the East Mason team are part of what makes the location special.
“Our team works well together during busy times. Everyone helps each other out.”
Some of Andrea’s favorite memories actually come from those especially busy days.
“The holidays can be very chaotic and stressful, but at the end of the day, closing right before a day off is one of my favorite times,” she says. “Cleaning up with the high schoolers and giving the last few customers who thought they weren’t going to make it in time something to make their holiday a little more special.”
More recently, another favorite memory was getting together with the Uncle Mike’s team at a Timber Rattlers game to celebrate our 25th anniversary.
The Customers Who Become Familiar Faces
After so many years at East Mason, Andrea has also gotten to know plenty of customers.
She remembers a customer named David who would regularly stop in for soup in the afternoon. Before we carried almond milk, he would bring his own so the team could make a caramel cappuccino for his wife.
“He was the sweetest,” Andrea remembers.
There’s Aaron, whose regular order is a half-sweet large Americano and sometimes a breakfast sandwich. Andrea has watched his family grow over the years and heard about milestones in his life, from opening a Christmas light installation business to buying a home.
And there are Josh and Jada, who regularly stop in for coffee, sandwiches and pastries. When they stay to eat, Andrea says you might find Jada sitting with a little sketchbook, drawing.
Those relationships are a reminder that a bakery can become part of someone’s routine—and that the people who walk through our doors every day become part of ours, too.
Andrea’s Uncle Mike’s Favorites
Picking just one favorite bakery item isn't easy for Andrea.
“It depends on the day!”
But there is one she keeps coming back to: Carmelita Bars.
Even before she worked here, Andrea remembers visiting the De Pere bakery as a kid and choosing a Carmelita Bar as her go-to treat.
When it comes to Kringle, however, there’s no hesitation:
Blueberry Cheese.
For savory Kringle, two former Kringle Combine creations stand out: Jalapeño Popper and Bacon Cream Cheese.
And if there’s one bakery item Andrea thinks more customers should discover, it’s our Burnt Almond Torte.
“It’s the only product we have year-round that’s made with pound cake.”
Fall at the Bakery
Andrea’s favorite season at Uncle Mike’s is fall.
She loves the warm flavors, chilly mornings, hot coffee and seasonal drinks.
And, as she enthusiastically adds:
“And the soup!!!”
It’s also fitting that someone who enjoys experimenting with food at work does plenty of it at home, too.
Outside of Uncle Mike’s
When Andrea isn’t at the bakery, family is a big part of her life.
She enjoys exploring new places, trying new foods and activities, and planning get-togethers, crafts and family traditions.
As everyone has gotten older and started creating lives of their own, getting the whole family together has become harder—which has made those gatherings even more important to her.
Andrea plans pumpkin carving and painting for her cousins, Easter brunches, and games at Christmas and New Year’s.
“Seeing my family together and happy is important to me.”
She also loves to cook and experiment with recipes. Recently, she learned to make ceviche and aguachiles after her boyfriend helped turn her into more of a seafood fan—including convincing her to try raw oysters.
Her all-time favorite dish to make, though, is creamy lemon pepper pasta with chicken. The first time she made it, it quickly became a family favorite.
If Andrea Created a Kringle...
After nine years at Uncle Mike’s, Andrea has a couple of ideas.
One would be a cream puff-inspired Kringle with fresh strawberries.
The other?
Pistachio Raspberry.
We might have to remember those.
A Message From Andrea
After growing from a 15-year-old working Friday nights behind the scenes into the manager of East Mason, Andrea has seen Uncle Mike’s from a lot of different perspectives.
But her message to the people who continue to walk through our doors is pretty simple:
“Thank you. For taking the time to stop in—whether it’s a quick stop, grabbing lunch, or ordering a cake for your special event. Thanks for letting us be a small part of your day.”
And Andrea, thank you for letting Uncle Mike’s be a part of yours for the past nine years.