The pastry chef has been cooking for as long as he can remember. Growing up, Jeremy Sayler would enlist his older brother, Michael, to turn on the burners to the stove; at just 6 years old, he couldn’t reach back that far. “I just cooked what I liked to eat back then,” says Jeremy. “And I liked eating things we got at the bakery like pies and pastries.”
That passion endures decades later for Jeremy who owns The Rolling Pin Bakery in downtown Glasgow. For 18 years, he’s served up his homemade pastries, pies and cheesecakes to go along with a light breakfast and lunch menu.
Jeremy outgrew the stool he used to cook on at 6 years old and eventually landed at culinary school in Louisville, Kentucky, where he earned a degree in baking and pastry arts. “Cooking is something I’ve always done,” he says. “I decided I liked baking and pastries more since you can work early in the mornings and get off at a decent time in the afternoon.”
Jeremy worked at The Pear Tree in Bevier after college, but knew he wanted to branch out on his own. He talked with a businessman from Glasgow who had a vacant building and Jeremy made his first-ever trip to the Missouri River town. “I immediately fell in love with Glasgow,” he says. “The atmosphere and the people make this a great little town.”
Jeremy completely renovated the old building on Market Street and developed a menu centered around his homemade sweets. “I knew in a small town we were going to have to offer more than just pastries and desserts,” he says.
The Rolling Pin’s menu hasn’t changed much since Jeremy sold his first slice of pie. Jeremy is the first one in the door around 5:30 a.m. It doesn’t take him long to get the storefront smelling sweet as he and his trusty Hobart mixer prepare that day’s batch of cinnamon rolls, muffins and Danishes, which are almost always sold out by the end of the day.
Just as patrons start to enjoy Jeremy’s creations, he begins one of his signature items. “It’s just hard to find a place to get a good slice of pie,” he says. “Lots of places use a frozen or premade pie. You can tell ours are made from scratch. I think that’s why a lot of people will drive out of their way to get pie here.”
No one will blame you for eating dessert first at The Rolling Pin. Jeremy bakes both cream and fruit pies daily. Assuming you arrive early enough, you’ll find freshly made coconut, chocolate, lemon and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup pies in the display case. The fruit pie selection changes daily and includes apple, peach, blackberry and gooseberry. “I would say strawberry rhubarb or cherry are probably the most popular fruit pies,” he says.
If you’ve left your sweet tooth at home, but still want a filling meal to start your day, try the breakfast burrito. The mixture starts with cooking eggs and fresh sausage from Charlie’s Quik-Chek, a local grocery store known for its meats. The filling joins two slices of American cheese on an oversized flour tortilla and is topped with fresh tomatoes and hot sauce. The big burrito is cooked through, rolled and sliced in half.
Later in the day, you can choose from plenty of sandwich and wrap options for lunch. One popular, fresh item customers have been eating for years is the chicken salad sandwich. Jeremy cooks and shreds chicken breasts, which are added to freshly cut celery, onions and grapes. The mixture is bound together with mayonnaise, salt and pepper. A generous scoop of the chicken salad is placed upon a croissant and leaf of lettuce to order. “What I really like about it is the grapes,” Jeremy says. “They’re sweet and just kind of give the chicken salad a little kick — something a little different.”
The Tuscan turkey sandwich starts with Swiss cheese melting between slices of turkey and bacon on the flattop. Once heated through, the meat and cheese are placed on focaccia bread with slices of tomato and Jeremy’s homemade ranch dressing. “The buttery bread with the cheese and turkey give it a really good flavor,” he says.
Other noteworthy options include the Reuben, chicken wrap and BLT — featuring a homemade dill sauce. Once the temperature outside starts to drop in the fall, you can count on fresh soup at The Rolling Pin daily. Jeremy makes big, mouthwatering batches of potato soup on Tuesdays, broccoli cheese soup on Wednesdays, taco soup on Thursdays and wild rice and cheese soup on Fridays. On Saturdays Jeremy alternates between chicken noodle and vegetable beef soups.
“There’s such a difference between frozen or canned soup and one you make yourself,” Jeremy says. “That’s why they are so popular. We only do it in the fall and winter, but even on the hottest summer days we have people who come up and ask for soup.”
From making the first batch of cinnamon rolls in the morning to using homemade sauces, Jeremy wants to serve up memorable food in a homey atmosphere. “I just always knew that if you make good food, people will come,” he says. “Even though we serve a lot of people from Glasgow, we’re lucky that our food draws in people from all around.”
The Rolling Pin Bakery
Specialties: Homemade bakery items including cookies, turnovers, cinnamon rolls, muffins, Danishes, fruit and cream pies, cakes and cheesecakes. Sandwiches and wraps including a breakfast burrito, BLT, Tuscan turkey and chicken salad. Soups served seasonally.
Price: Sandwiches and wraps from $5.75 to $7.49. Soups and salads from $4.50 to $7.49. Whole pies, cakes and cheesecakes from $18 to $39. Slices and pastries from $2.50 to $4.75.
Details: Open Tuesday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday. Cash, checks and credit cards accepted. Free Wi-Fi. Nonsmoking. Located at 104 Market St. in Glasgow. Contact at 660-338-0800 and on Facebook.