Simplicity is the secret ingredient at Salt Lake City’s new Streusel bakery

Andrew Corrao and Marissa Bean were at an airport in New York — on their way home from a business trip — when the idea for Streusel bakery was born.

It wasn’t in the streets of the concrete jungle or within the walls of the fine bakeries where they found inspiration. Rather, the concept is summed up in one word: simplicity, just like a streusel crumb that elevates a muffin or danish to a next level while keeping the beauty intact.

Streusel opened its first store inside Salt Lake City’s ComCom Kitchen earlier this month. Savory pastries are their niche, like the breakfast roll with cheddar hash browns and a baked egg inside a garlic brioche.

The simplest item — the chocolate chip cookie — is the star.

“We didn’t mess with it,” Corrao said. “We didn’t try to turn it into something it’s not supposed to be.”

After culinary school and years of banquet training, the co-owners decided to skip the unwritten code that dictates what it takes to be a good bakery.

They are not searching to have the flakiest croissant or use only premium products to achieve their goal, said Corrao. “We just kind of say, ‘Screw that. We are going to do what we want.’”

Opening a store amid COVID-19 has been a challenge. But customers — who were first introduced to Streusel at a farmers market — made donations and bought gift certificates.

At ComCom, they also are surrounded by a community of other food businesses that share the commercial kitchen space.

“There are always great people walking in, welcoming us to the neighborhood,” Corrao said. “They say, ‘You’re going to see us every day,’ and we say, ‘We are not gonna judge you for that.’”