INDIANAPOLIS — While birds of a feather may flock together, the same can be said for members of Jenna Unrue’s family.
“At any point, we could have four generations that are here at the bakery,” Unrue said.
Unrue is the owner of 4 Birtds Bakery in Indianapolis. It’s a labor of love and a family affair for Unrue. The bakery is where Unrue says her toddler spent the first year of her life.
“Her first 18 months of her life, she spent here in a pack-and-play,” Unrue said. “Everyday with me, strapped on my back.”
The same can be said for Unrue’s mother and soon-to-be 100-year-old grandmother, Betty.
“[She] comes in one day a week and puts stickers on cookies,” Unrue said. “It's a pretty cool thing to be able to have opportunities for your family and be surrounded by your family.”
The family is also surrounded by delicious baked goods.
“I would say our most popular cookies are salted chocolate chip,” Unrue said. “We have a gluten-free peanut butter cookie that even people who are not gluten-free love.”
4 Birds Bakery also has an oatmeal maple pecan cookie that requires more than 100 gallons of locally-sourced maple syrup every year. And the bakery makes English muffins from scratch.
“Not a lot of people make those and it's pretty cool,” Unrue said. “They're completely different than what you're going to get at the grocery store.”
Another item you won’t find on store shelves are spent-grain crackers.
“We make spent grain crackers using the spent grain from Guggman Haus and their brewing process,” Unrue said. “They're great for charcuterie boards.”
Unrue credits her bakery’s success to the support from her family and everyone who helped her along the way.
“I am not where I am today because of my own doing,” Unrue said. “I think it's because of the community that I've had behind me. I feel like it's my duty to pass that along to other people and if there's anybody that is up-and-coming, and there's advice that I can give, I'm happy to give it because people gave it to me.”
