With Ladybird bakery, Heather Crane creates an outlet for her passion for baked goods
Heather Crane holds fond memories of her first job in high school, working at a mom-and-pop deli and bakery in Rockford, Illinois, where she learned to make bread and cookies.
She’s held a number of jobs in the nearly 30 years since, but she’s always fallen back on her love for baking, her appreciation for how making that perfect loaf of crusty, chewy bread bridges science and art.
She has the chance to practice that passion on a near-daily basis with the opening of Ladybird bakery in Colona.
Crane’s newest venture already has a strong following, thanks to customers who know her from the catering business she’s owned for the last nine years, Pine Cone Catering, and her seasonal appearances at farmers’ markets in Ridgway, Montrose and Mountain Village. On a recent Friday morning, tables were filled with young families toting toddlers, twenty-somethings sipping coffee and retirees marveling at the size of fresh-made breakfast burritos.
Crane, her husband Patrick and their 16-year-old son weren’t strangers to the outpost at the far north end of Ouray County. They loved the former occupant of the building, La Zona Colona, and were sad to see it close in 2020.
The Montrose family talked with the Realtor listing the building about a year after it went on the market but weren’t in a hurry to start another business. But the requests kept coming: When will you open a storefront?
They decided the timing was right this past winter. They closed on the 750-square-foot building in January, purchasing the property for $400,000, according to county records. They applied a fresh coat of pink paint inside and out and used a cherry picker to affix atop the building a crane-shaped weather vane they received from Patrick’s parents as a wedding gift long ago, and held a grand opening earlier this month.
Ladybird bakery owner Heather Crane displays a batch of fresh artisanal bread. The Montrose resident opened her bakery in Colona earlier this month.
Erin McIntyre — Ouray County Plaindealer
Ladybird — think of Heather’s surname, not the former first lady, if you’re wondering about the origins of the name — aims to please a variety of palates. Sweet tooths will appreciate the assortment of cookies and brownies, along with thick slices of carrot cake and pies.
There’s plenty for vegetarians to choose from, from the green chili and potato breakfast burritos to the avocado toast. (Don’t worry, meat-lovers: there’s a burrito option featuring shredded chimichurri pork.) Southwestern fare occupies a big spot on the menu, too, with potato chipotle chili, green chile cheddar scones and a grilled cheese sandwich featuring whole roasted green chiles and three kinds of cheese on herb focaccia.
The bakery goes through about 60 scones and 20 loaves of bread a day. A flour-dusted loaf of ciabatta registers more than a foot in length.
Ladybird bakery manager Katy McLaughlin grabs an apple pie scone out of the case. The bakery sells about 60 scones a day and tends to sell out. Photo by Erin McIntyre
Crane sees baking as something of a lost art.
“There’s not a lot of people baking scones or pies anymore,” she said. “Pies aren’t really a thing anymore because they take so much time.”
Ladybird’s location about halfway between Ridgway and Montrose means it’s pulling in customers from both towns, as well as morning commuters on their way to Ouray or Telluride and Log Hill Mesa neighbors who don’t want to drive far for a cup of coffee and something to nosh.
With warmer weather around the corner, Crane is looking forward to customers lounging on the dog-friendly patio on the south side of the building.
“We just wanted to make it pleasant and inviting enough for people to feel comfortable,” she said.
Ladybird, located at 22 Hotchkiss Ave., is currently open from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
