Kitchen Artisan
Sonni Svejcar rolls out her baked goods with an Old World flair
By B. Marie Jarreau-Danner
T
Fairy-tale pumpkins and dried foliage decorate the outside of Sonni Svejcar’s home.
4 JANUARY 2008 HARNEY
hat hypnotic aroma of yeasty
dough rising in her kitchen is
far removed from the career
Sonni Svejcar expected to follow
after receiving a college degree in
architecture.
But when she met and fell in love
with her husband, Tony, at Colorado
State University, her path diverged
from architecture to a career
that continues to bring her much
fulfillment.
Sonni runs a home-based artisan
bakery. The business not only offers
a comforting essence to her household, it connects her to a time gone
by growing up in Elyria, Ohio.
Her family and social community
were infused with the influence of
European immigrants and their
contribution to American culture.
“I remember seeing the sausages
and cheeses hung to dry and the
smells of the traditional foods
being prepared,” says Sonni, whose
heritage is Czech and Polish.
“My mother was an excellent
baker,” Sonni says. “But she would
not teach us to bake. My sister and I
used to try to peak in to see how she
was cooking.”
Kitchen work in those days was
an intensive endeavor without the
mechanical aids and convenient
products most American kitchens
are stocked with today.
Although Sonni’s mother spent
hours preparing traditional Czech/
Polish meals for her family, she did
not have time to teach.
“I taught myself because it was
something I wanted to learn,”
Sonni says, noting that she and her
Sonni begins many of her baking projects in assembly line fashion.
sister would spend time trying to
peruse their mother’s recipes for
ingredients and methods when they
could.
A Place to Call Home
Sonni and Tony came to Harney
County in 1990 with their children.
Rachel was just 2 weeks old, Jesse
was 2 and Lauren was 5.
Tony had accepted the research
leader position for the federal component at the Eastern Oregon
Agricultural Research Center in
Burns.
By that time, Sonni recognized
that a career as an architect
in some large, glamorous city
no longer held the interest it once
had.
“Tony’s never liked big cities,”
Sonni says. “I thought I might really miss that atmosphere, but I just
haven’t.”
The Svejcars raised their children
in a home that has undergone several renovations, and is rumored to
have been part of a school that once
existed in Burns on Highway 20.
When the Svejcars moved to the
house in 1992, it was not finished,
and plenty of work was needed to
make it a home.
The couple refurbished the wood
floors that grace the living room
area. Sonni laid the rustic tile floor
of the entry and kitchen.
After her children started school,
Sonni began to focus more seriously
on baking.
“It started with baking 75 pumpkin rolls for a fundraising event,”
she says.
Sonni spent her children’s school
years helping with school events and
sports activities, but also found time
to spend in her kitchen.
“There are many folks in this
community who excel at baking,”
she says, “but I also love baking and
I’ve had the time to do it.”
With her children now away from
home, Sonni has more time to bake.
She started her home-based
company, On A Roll Bakery, in
October 2006. She offers artisan
breads and specialty items.
Her wares are available fresh daily at the newly opened Bella Java in
Burns. Patrons also can request special orders for Sonni’s baked goods.
“I’ll be making bread bowls, ciabatta, peasant bread and other products,” she says.
Sonni also will offer loaves of
challah, a braided bread traditionally served during Jewish holidays and
the Sabbath.
A Niche of Her Own
Sonni says she has gained a lot of
knowledge through trial and error,
research, and from her friend and
baking mentor, DeEtta Vincent of
Plush.
While she recognizes there are
talented bakers serving the Burns/
Hines area, Sonni was pleased to
discover a local market for her
artisan breads.
“I don’t do sheet cakes, cake
decorating, jelly doughnuts or
other items other people are baking
here,” she says. “I do love to bake
more European items that folks
seem to enjoy but aren’t available
locally. I’m happy that I can offer
products that aren’t meant to
compete with other businesses
here.
“Everyone has their specialties,
and I’m able to add to the variety
of baked goods folks can find right
here in Harney County.”
Sonni uses fresh ingredients,
including real butter and cream, for
the rich, full flavor and quality she
seeks.
When she’s not in the kitchen,
Sonni teaches a college course
through the Heritage Institute.
“I work with teachers through
online courses,” she says. “I teach
six different classes that help the
teachers keep their credentials
current.
“The classes focus on things like
character education and helping
students overcome fear. Another
class helps teachers educate kids
about designing personal histories.
We work with visual learning tools.
It’s amazing how some kids will
open up through the use of photos
and other visual tools.”
Through her earlier focus on
architecture, Sonni has maintained
an interest in structure and form.
Whether it is designing teaching
aids for her students or prompting
the rising of yeasty breads, Sonni
enjoys cooking up ideas for her
family and community. Q
For more information about Sonni
Svejcar and On A Roll Bakery, contact
her at (541) 573-5750.
HARNEY JANUARY 2008 5