Many students don't know that Wartburg has its very own bakery located behind the cafeteria.

Four women make up the bakery crew, or as they like to call themselves, "The Big Bad Bakery Bunch."

Pat Ryan has been with the Wartburg Dining Services for 23 years but has worked in the bakery for five years. Before she came to the bakery, she worked on the serving line, in the Den and as a student supervisor. One day she was asked to fill in for one of the bakery women who was on maternity leave, and she has been there ever since.

Mary Wedeking has worked there for 15 years, after being a salesperson for Sears.

Betty Nelson has served Wartburg for 24 years, after being a housewife.

And Delores Bourke has been in the bakery eight years since coming from the staff at Bartels Nursing Home.

Beside the four women, a few students help out as part of their work-study.

Student workers include freshmen Sarah Braun and Greg Dewey, and sophomores Kim Neymeyer and Sarah Pliner.

"Working with the students keeps me young. And I also acquire relationships with the students, and they become like my own kids," said Wedeking.

"I like to find out about them and their lives," Nelson said.

Working with students has created many fond memories for the bakery women.

One such memory is when a student worker tried to make banana bread but left out an important ingredient. The bread was so hard that it couldn't be removed from the pan.

Despite the mishaps by students, Ryan said she really does enjoy teaching the students how to bake. But she also enjoys her co-workers, or "partners in crime," as she calls them.

So what exactly are some of the things that come out of the bakery? They make a lot of cookies from scratch, as well as deli breads, Christmas cookies, and granola.

Ryan said that the student's favorite desserts tend to be the cheesecake, dirty dessert, and jello cake.

When students head home for a relaxing break, the bakery women stay here and clean the ovens and machinery. Ryan said many memories are made over breaks. One time it was so warm over Christmas break that they cleaned the outside windows of the bakery in January.

Another time, Ryan had left some racks lying on the floor while they were cleaning. Bourke tripped over the racks and ended up breaking a bone in her foot.

"There are so many memories," said Ryan. "We are laughing all the time."

The bakery crew puts many hours in each week. The students work their assigned shift and then rotate Saturday and Sunday shifts. The women rotate daily shifts. The first shift is from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the second shift is from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m

Most students wouldn't even think about getting up at five in the morning, much less working at that time, but the bakery crew is there and ready to start preparing good food.

The first thing they do is start proofing bread and cinnamon rolls. Then, they make muffins for breakfast. They also make homemade donuts at least once, but sometimes twice, a week.

After the breakfast baking, the women start preparing for lunch and dinner. They usually make two types of bars as well as jello and fruit for lunch. Of course, they always prepare some delicious dessert for dinner.

Besides preparing treats for students, the bakery staff also provides food for special events, such as Walk and Talk for senior citizens, Retired Pastors, and Knights at Noon.

The bakery women were unable to find much to complain about in their jobs, but they agreed wholeheartedly that the best thing is working with the students.

So the next time you grab a dessert or smell some really good pastry, think of the bakery women. Maybe say "hello" or "thanks."

"We like it when we (the bakery) are told we smell good," said Wedeking.