FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – A Hungarian native is bringing a taste of Transylvania to the Summit City.
Timea Csibi, born and raised in Oradea, Romania, and now a Fort Wayne resident since 2017, has opened her new bakery, Chimney Cakes Bakery, at 1202 W Main Street.
This new sweet and savory shop specializes in authentic Transylvanian Chimney Cakes.
A Chimney cake is also known as kürtoskalács, which is a recipe that originated in the 1400s in Transylvania. Now famous in many places in Europe, having its roots in Transylvania, the humble ‘chimney cake’ is possibly the region’s tastiest export.
Timea Csibi of Chimney Cakes Bakery is a client of the Northeast Indiana Small Business Development Center.
Representatives with the NEI-SBDC released the following:
An absolute must at festivals, weddings, and also a tourist attraction, it is always made fresh to order and baked with all-natural ingredients. The chimney cake is a uniquely shaped, handcrafted sweet treat that is hand rolled, the fresh dough being rolled onto wooden cylinders individually, then covered with sugar and carefully baked in a special oven or on an open rotating charcoal or gas grill designed only for this purpose. The bakery/café offers made-from-scratch cakes that are handcrafted. Customers can order from a variety of tastes: Ambrosia Chimney or Strawberry Chocolate Chimney Cones, Hazelnut, Peach Mango, Oreo, Cocoa Crunch, Fruity Crunch, Coconut, and Absolute Almond. Also offered on the menu is Pecan, Raspberry, Cinnamon, and Cocoa. For those looking for the not-so-sweet flavor, Savory options available are Italian Herbs and Cheese, Five Cheese, and Jalapeno Cheddar.
New to the Fort Wayne area, Timea’s family made Fort Wayne, Indiana home after several relocations due to her husband’s career. With a different professional background, Mrs. Csibi was an HR manager for several years, but intensely missing the tastes of home, she started building the dream of a chimney cakes bakery beginning in 2019. However, the pandemic made it hard to fulfill those plans. By 2021, she had tested recipes at home, shared her creations with friends and neighbors and when the local farmers markets in town started up again, Chimney Cakes was able to introduce her culinary surprises to new customers.
The sweet shop joined the Fort Wayne Farmers’ Market and then joined the YLNI Farmers’ Market. They were also a part of the Three Rivers Festival International Village and in 2022 were invited to bake at the Carmel Christkindlmarkt in Carmel, Indiana.
The experience of sharing the freshly baked chimney cakes with friends, customers and fellow vendors at the markets attended, encouraged Timea to take her young business to the next level by searching for a space for the bakery. The Csibi family are grateful for finding a unique space in a historic part of town on West Main Street. And, beginning on Saturday, January 28, 2023, the Chimney Cake Bakery will become the only bakery of its kind in Indiana.
Future plans for the business include offering private catering.
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