The University has recently added a bakery to the long list of on-the-go dining options available to students on campus.
Rosie’s Bakery is a one-stop shop for delectable desserts, according to the Sun Devil Dining page. The bakery, which opened on Aug. 17, was inspired by an employee named Rosie who has worked on campus for over 20 years making baked goods, said Erin Hall, a director of food service with Aramark.
Hall said Rosie handles the preparation for all the baked goods ordered through the catering department but has always stayed behind the scenes in the day-to-day operations.
“We were trying to put her more at the forefront, so she has her own little space in the building,” Hall said.
Barbara Hawbaker, the main cashier at Rosie’s Bakery, said the sweets are baked fresh daily in a kitchen located in the Memorial Union and are brought to the counter.
“Every morning they bring us the cookies and cakes for the day,” Hawbaker said.
Sun Devil Dining has 14 dining options for hungry students in the MU, ranging from Starbucks for a quick coffee to the Pitchforks dining hall. But Rosie’s Bakery is the only bakery in the MU and their sweets have been featured on Sun Devil Dining’s Instagram account.
Hawbaker said the bakery offers goods such as lemon bars, mini cupcakes and cookies.
For students who have alternative diets and are curious about the Bakery's accommodations, Hall said that it’s hard to say exactly what will be offered from one day to the next.
“We rotate daily based on what’s available, but we do offer vegan and gluten-free options,” Hall said.
Hawbaker said that business at the bakery has been good, even though not many students know that it exists in MU.
“It does peak toward the end of the day,” Hawbaker said, “They will see something that catches their eye and they come in.”
Geiya Hatter, a cashier at Rosie’s Bakery and a global politics sophomore, said she believes the bakery does well because of its affordability and appeal to students' sweet tooth.
“Everybody on campus is super health conscious, but they always break the health consciousness for their sweets,” Hatter said, “Not only is it unique because we have our own bakery but people also like that it’s not that badly priced, nothing’s super expensive like at some bakeries,” Hatter said.
Students looking to place orders for special occasions can do so through ASU Catering.
Rosie’s is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the October promotion offered at the bakery allows students to purchase five Halloween cookies and get one for free.
"I think it’s because we all love to eat healthy food, but when it comes to sweets we love sweets," Hatter said, touting her favorite treat from the bakery. "The caramel cheesecake, it’s so good!"
Editor's note: Aramark declined to connect the reporter with Rosie, whose last name was also not provided.
Reach the reporter at jlneff1@asu.edu or follow @jennaleeneff on Twitter.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
