SG Bake Shoppe is a new Stamping Ground gathering place
Written by Kathy Witt
The SG Bake Shoppe only recently had its grand opening, but months of hard work and TLC have gone into transforming the space in one of Stamping Ground’s newest locally owned businesses. In fact, owners and sisters Ashley Zagaruyka and Jessie Zagaruyka posted about the journey to opening their doors on the shop’s Facebook page in early May.
“We have gone through so much and come so far, it doesn’t even look like the same location anymore. We hope that when you come to visit you feel the love and joy that we poured into this bakery.”
That same love and joy is poured into every item made in this bakery, from the donuts and fresh breads to the cheesecakes and specialty coffees – a full menu that combines the goodies of Ashley’s H.C. Farms and Jessie’s Cheesecakes from the Heart.
The shop is located on Main Street in Stamping Ground. The sisters pay tribute to the history of their small town with canvas pictures depicting scenes of the town before the tornado of 1972 came through and wiped everything out. The menu also shows off the shop’s logo of a buffalo, a reference to the great herds that once traversed Scott County, gathering and drinking – and stamping – at Buffalo Springs.* Only this buffalo is sporting a chef’s hat.
“As well as wanting to pay homage to the history of Stamping Ground, we focused our efforts on making the SG Bake Shoppe a warm and cozy place for our community to come visit,” said Jessie. “Combine that with two sisters who are two very different styles of head baker and we’ve created an establishment unlike any other!”
The most popular cheesecake flavor is called Bourbon Ball and it’s laced with Woodford Reserve Bourbon.
“We wanted to go local, and this bourbon pairs smoothly with this buttery, chocolaty classic Kentucky dessert,” said Jessie, aka the Cheesecake Lady.
Other flavors are strawberry, key lime, banana pudding, white chocolate raspberry and pumpkin spice.
To accompany the confections are beverages, including coffees and cappuccino.
Like all Georgetown businesses, the SG Bake Shoppe is following all cleaning, health and safety protocols, sanitizing more frequently and requiring both staff and customers to wear face coverings. The shop offers curbside pickup and hopes to add delivery to its services sometime in the future.
Follow the shop’s Facebook page to get updates, see live video posts, communicate with the bakers and find information about events the shop is hosting. Information: 502-906-0049.
Updated information about all of Georgetown’s eating establishments, including onsite dining, curbside pickup and delivery details, may be found here.
RECIPE: Ashley Zagaruyka’s Meringue Cookies
Ingredients:
6 egg whites
1/2 tsp cream of tarter
1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 pinches of salt
1 tsp of desired flavored extract (get creative!)
food coloring (red for strawberry flavor, blue for blueberry, etc.)
Directions:
In electric mixer with whisk attachment, beat egg whites on medium speed until opaque. Add Cream of Tartar and salt. Slowly add sugar a tablespoon at a time and gradually increase speed. Once all sugar is added, beat on high speed until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in flavoring and food coloring. Using a piping bag and desired decorating tip, pipe 2-inch meringue circles on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 215 degrees for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Store in airtight bag or container.
*Did You Know . . . Buffalo Springs was discovered in 1775 by Will McConnell and Charles LeCompte. They called the area around it the “Buffalo Stamping Ground.” Stamping Ground is located on the Alanant-o-wamiowee Trail or “Buffalo Path.” This trail was established ages ago and has been an ancient migratory route since prehistoric times. The buffalo stopped to get a long lick of salt at the site of the town of Long Lick, and nearer Georgetown, they crossed the Elkhorn Creek at the Great Crossing.
Author: Kathryn Witt
Kathryn Witt is an award-winning travel and lifestyle writer, syndicated columnist and author of several books, including Secret Cincinnati, The Secret of the Belles and Atlanta Georgia: A Photographic Portrait. A member of SATW, Authors Guild and the Society of Children’s Books & Illustrators, she lives in northern Kentucky.
