Babycakes Muffin Company sits boldly along Washington Street in downtown Marquette with its newly painted red facade and warm atmosphere. Resembling a café found in any well-traveled European city, Babycakes is a must stop for those craving a unique and delicious experience at the local level.

Over a year ago, John and Darci Scheidt officially became the owners of Babycakes which first opened in 1988. The Scheidt’s, who also own the award-winning Huron Mountain Bakery in south Marquette and Ishpeming, have been in the Upper Peninsula for over 20 years.

“I was going to college in East Lansing and I needed a job and the only one I could find was in a bakery department at a grocery store,” John said. “I had no intentions of being a baker. I wanted to be an economist, but once I started baking for this company, it clicked. I loved it.

“They offered me a job as a bakery manager eventually, so I took a little time off of school and explored it and I never looked back. I love baking — I love developing formulas.”

After the Scheidt’s moved to the U.P. to chase John’s dream of owning his own bakery, they purchased Mr. Donut 22 years ago and changed the name to The Donut Hole.

The bakery started out with only a small selection of bread, donuts, muffins and bagels that John and Darci made themselves each morning.

“My specialty was European breads so we changed the name to Huron Mountain Bread Company, but once we started increasing the number of employees we had, we kept introducing more products and it outgrew its name — so we shortened it to Huron Mountain Bakery. That was about 10 years ago,” John said.

Now, Huron Mountain Bakery offers the best in baked goods, including cakes, cupcakes, sandwiches, and wood-fired, brick oven pizzas at its Ishpeming location. It’s received recognition throughout the state and country, topping the charts in “Best Bakery” polls.

“It still blows me away that we’ve received so much attention being that we are located in such a remote area,” John said.

While the staff at Huron follow their own product recipes, John said they kept the original formulas at Babycakes the same — specifically the muffins, scones and cinnamon rolls.

One market Babycakes has expanded into is quick lunch options, offering a large selection of sandwiches, wraps, salads and soups. There are two soups available per day — one meat-based and the other being a vegetarian or vegan option.

Sandwiches from the pristine cases can also be heated since Babycakes has a high-speed panini press which heats a sandwich within minutes.

“You can be in and out of here in 10-15 minutes for lunch,” John said.

The biggest addition people may have noticed, though, is the assortment of rich, delicious French pastries filling the refined cases.

“I love French pastries — the elegance, they’re like edible art,” John said. “I’ve been wanting to make French pastries since I’ve been in the business.”

Some of the pastries include fresh food tarts, mousses, high-end chocolates, and an array of gourmet six-inch cakes. However, customers can expect to see a lot more filling the cases in the future.

But that’s not all — Babycakes will also provide lunch and event catering in the near future.

Whether you’re looking for breakfast treats for the office, a quick grab-lunch, or a delicious cup of coffee, everything will be served by friendly employees who are ready to greet you.

Babycakes is located at 223 W. Washington St., Marquette. Its hours of operation are Monday-Friday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, visit Babycakes’ Facebook and Instagram pages.

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