June 13, 2023

A baker who sell his cupcakes, kolaches and more at the Lake Lorraine Farmers Market has chosen the west-side development for his first storefront.

Alex Peterson is opening Baking up a Storm inside The Blu on Lorraine, a six-story apartment building that soon will be home to residents.

Peterson, who’s originally from northwest Iowa, specializes in filled cupcakes, including a poplar “Snickers” version with a caramel nut filling and peanut butter frosting, and Strawberry Lemonade with strawberry filling and a lemon curd frosting.

Peterson said he’s also known for his kolaches, sweet pastries that hold a dollop of fruit.

Signature cookies include Blueberry Muffin Top and Bourbon Salted Caramel. Peterson said he’s also known for his “church lady” bars like the Revel, which is an oatmeal cookie bar with a fudge filling, and a monster cookie-like bar that he calls a Blondie.

“I kind of stay away from cakes because I’m not the best cake decorator,” he confessed.

He offers dairy- and gluten-free options for most of his baked goods.

Baking up a Storm will serve coffee, milk and bottled water and will have a juice bar at the request of the apartment owner, Peterson said.

The coffee beans he uses will come from local roaster Rainy Day Coffee.

The name of the bakery comes from wife Brittany’s job as a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

“She’s my official taste-tester and does my marketing.”

Peterson grew up with big families on both sides of his parents, and everyone spent a lot of time in the kitchen, he said. Although it’s now his career, he said he hated his baking class in college because he didn’t like how precise everything has to be. That began to change after he baked desserts for a couple of weddings.

“They told me I needed to charge more because it was so good,” he said. “That got the ball rolling to do this for a living.”

He progressed into special orders for customers and sold baked goods at a farmers market in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where he and his wife lived before moving to Sioux Falls in 2020.

He started baking here the following year, selling items at the Lake Lorraine Farmers Market and Benson’s Flea Market, along with taking custom orders.

He has been able to sell baked goods at markets under the state’s cottage law but has been prevented from catering weddings at event venues that require food to come out of a commercial kitchen. That was part of the reason to pursue a storefront, and the opportunity to operate out of The Blu is a great way to start, he said.

“I like the area. It’s up and coming. …I live on the west side; that’s why I wanted to choose that area. Lots of my clients are from the west side, but I do have people from the east side that drive over.”

While hours aren’t set, he’s envisioning 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Peterson hopes to open in late July or early August. Customers will access the bakery through the building’s main entrance or patio.

Find updates on his website, bakingbyalex.com, Facebook or Instagram.