New bakery, market and cafe to open in old Prairie Thunder space (http://www.okctalk.com/content.php?r=360-New-bakery-market-and-cafe-to-open-in-old-Prairie-Thunder-space)

A native son has returned to Oklahoma City and will soon be opening Esca Vitae in the space formerly occupied by Prairie Thunder Baking Company at 1114 Classen Drive.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/vitae1.jpg


Cy Mills had been a wine steward at Flint in the Colcord Hotel but had relocated to Boulder, Colorado before deciding to return home to OKC.

Mills will bring not only a European-style bakery but a cafe and market to the location where Prairie Thunder closed its doors last November, in Midtown's Plaza Court building across from St. Anthony Hospital.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/vitae3.jpg


Most the equipment remains and Morris is bringing in a German baker to run the operation.

In addition to the baked goods, Esca Vitae will feature cheeses, cured meats and coffee as well as some prepared items.

Mills told OKCTalk, "We are very much in pursuit of the quality of great bakeries of Germania. We have been inspired by the product they make and what we can bring to OKC. But there is also an amazing array of other tasty goods from all over Europe that we will feature as homage to our heritage and education of the old world. Meats from Italy and Spain, with cheeses from France, beers from Belgium and everything in-between. The experience at Esca Vitae should be a vacation to Europe every time you come in to our little shop. And one should walk away with some knowledge they had not previously had before."

Renovation work is well underway and Mills hopes to open on March 1st.

Hours will be 6AM to 6PM Monday through Saturday.


http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/vitae2.jpg

MmmMmmMmmmm.... Cured meats and cheeses.... Sounds like my kind of place.

This will be a great addition to the culinary options available in OKC. Hoping for much success of this venture

Noooo....

I'm going to be so fat

and poor

:( :( :( :( :(

It will be good to have another operator in that space!

https://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/fbh/5993835605.html
Are they really importing a
German baker or just hiring some assistants or something? I hope itworks

https://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/fbh/5993835605.html
Are they really importing a
German baker or just hiring some assistants or something? I hope itworks

A city this big without one artisan bakery, we can only hope, like praying for rain.....

A city this big without one artisan bakery, we can only hope, like praying for rain.....

We have Big Sky Bread on Western.

Wouldn't La Baguette qualify as well?

Am I the only one that finds it odd they are calling this a German style bakery/deli but it has a Latin name.... At least I'm hoping it's Latin because if it's Italian it translates to Curriculum Bait... LOL

Then again Nahrung für das Leben doesn't really roll off the tongue like Esca Vitae.

Am I the only one that finds it odd they are calling this a German style bakery/deli but it has a Latin name....
Not at all. When I saw the name I had no idea what to expect. Then I read the description, and while I was more intrigued by cured meats, I was even more confused by the name. It struck me as an identity crisis not too dissimilar to Gigglez in that a weird name choice is throwing me off.

Am I the only one that finds it odd they are calling this a German style bakery/deli but it has a Latin name.... At least I'm hoping it's Latin because if it's Italian it translates to Curriculum Bait... LOL

Then again Nahrung für das Leben doesn't really roll off the tongue like Esca Vitae.

'food for life' in latin... but yeah, was thinking the same thing as to how that ties in to a german theme... still excited about the place, though!

It's a European themed bakery, cafe and market, not just a German bakery.

The name means "food is life"

Wouldn't La Baguette qualify as well?

Well, if made in a windowless factory (Norman), owned by a nice businessman who knows nothing about baking, wonder what commercial baking mixes are used....

The term Artisan in Bread baking refers to the method of using Wild Yeast/Sourdough type methods and long fermentation techniques to enhance flavor and digestibility of the bread. As far as I know, La Baguette and Big Sky are not using those techniques. The reason there are not more of these bakeries is because it's not easy to do. Also a huge gamble to invest in such a business model to see if it will be a success. IMO...

Wonderful. I liked the predecessor, but it was always missing something. I love the artisan meats and cheeses. Seems like a perfect fit for the nabe.

For all the supposed love of Prairie Thunder, it seems everyone I know talked about liking it but rarely went in. I was one of them and lived within walking distance.

I love that Esca Vitae will offer lots of things in their market other than just breads and baked goods. I bet they do very well.

And I can tell you that the guy behind this is a super energetic and motivated dude, with plenty of experience.

Maybe he can add schneeballs (or perhaps it's schneeballen) to their offering. My all time favorite pastry! Here's hoping.

The term Artisan in Bread baking refers to the method of using Wild Yeast/Sourdough type methods and long fermentation techniques to enhance flavor and digestibility of the bread. As far as I know, La Baguette and Big Sky are not using those techniques. The reason there are not more of these bakeries is because it's not easy to do. Also a huge gamble to invest in such a business model to see if it will be a success. IMO...

Thanks for the observation, let's check out two bakeries in Lawrence KS,
http://www.wheatfieldsbakery.com/bakery.html, and
http://www.1900barker.com/home
Well worth the effort if your around Lawrence....wish they were here.

It's a European themed bakery, cafe and market, not just a German bakery.

The name means "food is life"

Lebensmittel is a German word for groceries/food. It's also a compound word (which Germans love) made up of "leben" meaning life and "mittel" meaning "stuff/supplies/things" in this context. I'm guessing that they took the German word and came up with a Latin name based on the translation of the actual words.

Esca is food in Latin; Vitae is life in Latin.

Translated it reads "food for life".

Soft opening on Monday, and pictures look delicious. My German heart will be there to check it out.

I went on Saturday and had a very tasty french toast sandwich. I wish them all the best.

Their site is up and running and their offerings look really impressive... I'm looking forward to trying it out.

http://www.escavitae.com/

Went today. Selection is still somewhat limited, and the German baker won't be there until the end of the month. But the things we sampled were all tasty, the sandwich delicious, and the coffee and cake was excellent.

13676

I'll be going back in a couple weeks for sure.

Went today. Selection is still somewhat limited, and the German baker won't be there until the end of the month. But the things we sampled were all tasty, the sandwich delicious, and the coffee and cake was excellent.

13676

I'll be going back in a couple weeks for sure.

I went today. Impressive. Nice sandwich options. Two thumbs up.

I wondered in here kind of randomly this weekend and was blown away. The baked goods are so freaking good! Maybe the best soft pretzel I have ever consumed. And the sweets counter was chock full of amazing looking stuff that I did not try as I was there to pick up a loaf of bread for a nice dinner.

Also they are open late Thu-Saturday making it a good date-night desert stop.

I'm a little concerned, though. There was nobody else in there but me. Also the fact that I live in the neighborhood and have not discovered this spot until now, in spite of its very high quality, does not speak well to its marketing.

I fear for the future of this one...

^^^
Their pretzels are amazing! I've been here a couple of times early Saturday mornings and it has a good amount of people. I do hope it does well, it's a great addition to midtown IMO

Remember that bakeries like this sell a lot of items to restaurants and caterers.

You can't see the majority of their business.

^^
excellent point!

They also are at the Edmond Farmers Market on Saturdays.

Went in to grab a couple of pretzels at lunch and noticed they have moved away from the market concept. The meats and cheeses are all gone as well as the oils and pastas that were originally in the west end of the space.

They are also a presence at the Norman Farmers Market.

Quick review from recent visit.
Pretzels - Good but overpriced. 3.50 each? Too much IMO but if market bears it out for them.. great. I did a search online for comparison and found German John's in New Hampshire making the same kind and they're at 2.00 per.

Almond Croissant.. Meh. No flavor and no flakiness. Would not buy again.
Bread... Haven't had a loaf yet. Nothing looked appealing so far.
Pastries... Didn't try yet... looked good from the case though.
Food menu ... Didn't try yet.
Atmosphere. Looks good.

Will give it another shot in the future.

The brioche is excellent.

HUGE disappointment. Got there at 1:30 today (90 minutes before closing), pastry case was completely empty except for a few macarons, menu is very different from what is up on the various websites (Yelp, Facebook, Doordash), and in a more limited way, it appears. "Brunch" was pathetic - one egg omelettes, ingredients were totally average (wife said her mushrooms were good, though), home fries that were just potatoes, toast that could've almost been Wonder bread. Counter guy said they're in the midst of a management turnover, and they apparently can't get the social media passwords from the previous managers, so they can't update things like their menu, etc. So between the completely average food, the complete lack of pastries (oh, and they only had seeded baguettes and a couple of seeded loaves of bread, and a couple of loaves of their average bread we got with brunch, no other bread), the incredibly noisy beating-to-hell of the knock box when the barista emptied the espresso grounds, we most definitely aren't going back anytime soon, if ever.

yeah... this place is a huge step down compared to prairie thunder.

I thought they were bringing in a baker from Germany and be a very authentic European bakery. What happened to all that?

I hope they are doing good business because I love their pretzels and wurzelbrot. I never see many people there when I am in and they seem to to be grasping at straws with their concept. The meats and cheeses by the pound disappeared really quick. The counter help hasn’t been the best recently either.

I hope they are doing good business because I love their pretzels and wurzelbrot. I never see many people there when I am in and they seem to to be grasping at straws with their concept. The meats and cheeses by the pound disappeared really quick. The counter help hasn’t been the best recently either.

We were the only people eating in yesterday, other folks came in for coffee drinks. Wife said they did have pretzels, but they were tiny and there was no way she was going to pay $3 for them. Wish they would've had wurzelbrot, that might've helped my opinion of them.

I hope they are doing good business because I love their pretzels and wurzelbrot. I never see many people there when I am in and they seem to to be grasping at straws with their concept. The meats and cheeses by the pound disappeared really quick. The counter help hasn’t been the best recently either.

If they are going under I need to step up my game and get those pretzels while I can. Best pretzel I've had in OKC hands down.

Esca Vitae really isn't doing it. The croissants seem to be glorified Pillsbury crescent rolls. Indeed, it is a step down from Prairie Thunder. Wonder why OKC can't get a owner operated artisan bakery. http://www.mylocoffee.com/ in Little Rock, http://www.1900barker.com/home in Lawrence KS, http://wheatfieldsbakery.com/bread.php in Lawrence KS, and https://www.ibisbakery.com/ in Kansas City

Read "Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast" and you'll understand just how hard and time-consuming starting and operating a high quality artisanal bakery is.

Esca Vitae really isn't doing it. The croissants seem to be glorified Pillsbury crescent rolls. Indeed, it is a step down from Prairie Thunder. Wonder why OKC can't get a owner operated artisan bakery. http://www.mylocoffee.com/ in Little Rock, http://www.1900barker.com/home in Lawrence KS, http://wheatfieldsbakery.com/bread.php in Lawrence KS, and https://www.ibisbakery.com/ in Kansas City

what about Big Sky bread? They have a location on North Western.....

Esca Vitae really isn't doing it. The croissants seem to be glorified Pillsbury crescent rolls. Indeed, it is a step down from Prairie Thunder. Wonder why OKC can't get a owner operated artisan bakery. http://www.mylocoffee.com/ in Little Rock, http://www.1900barker.com/home in Lawrence KS, http://wheatfieldsbakery.com/bread.php in Lawrence KS, and https://www.ibisbakery.com/ in Kansas City

Because they don't seem to be well-supported.

That is a labor-intensive, pretty low-margin business and for whatever reason people here don't seem to value the artisan approach enough to make it a worthwhile business venture.

I know the owners of Esca Vitae and they started out with very ambitious plans. I'll find out more but I suspect they had to take a different approach due to lack of business.

Because they don't seem to be well-supported.

I have to wonder how much that has to do with the name.... People just don't know what it is or that they are even there.

It's a shame because I made a two mile round trip walk from my office a couple of weeks ago just to get a pretzel for lunch... Yes, I think they are that good!

I have to wonder how much that has to do with the name.... People just don't know what it is or that they are even there.

It's a shame because I made a two mile round trip walk from my office a couple of weeks ago just to get a pretzel for lunch... Yes, I think they are that good!

Perhaps, but Prairie Thunder also eventually failed.

Esca Vitae really isn't doing it. The croissants seem to be glorified Pillsbury crescent rolls. Indeed, it is a step down from Prairie Thunder. Wonder why OKC can't get a owner operated artisan bakery. http://www.mylocoffee.com/ in Little Rock, http://www.1900barker.com/home in Lawrence KS, http://wheatfieldsbakery.com/bread.php in Lawrence KS, and https://www.ibisbakery.com/ in Kansas City
. . .Farrell's in Tulsa. . .

I have to wonder how much that has to do with the name.... People just don't know what it is or that they are even there.

It's a shame because I made a two mile round trip walk from my office a couple of weeks ago just to get a pretzel for lunch... Yes, I think they are that good!
I do think the name was a terrible choice. But as Pete said, it seems like most of OKC just doesn't value the artisan approach.

Perhaps, but Prairie Thunder also eventually failed.

Right but Prairie Thunder just doesn't scream bakery to me either..... Most people don't know Latin so if I'm your average Okie and just driving down the street and see Esca Vitae... It could be anything to me, I would think boutique, and probably not going to inspire me to stop and check it out.

At the same time maybe it's just a concept we're not ready for or just not feasible here.... I thought Forward Foods would thrive when they opened on Western and that didn't happen either...... Then again I've never thought Forward Foods was that great of a name for what they are.... Could just as easily be a convenience store with that name.

It comes down to the product, and a bakery has to have a committed, trained, and passionate baker running it.[ATTACH]14493
Here’s some of my sourdough

It comes down to the product,

Nothing wrong with the product in my opinion.... Like I said... I walked two miles just to get a pretzel from them.

It comes down to the product, and a bakery has to have a committed, trained, and passionate baker running it.[ATTACH]14493
Here’s some of my sourdough

Wow!! That is impressive Mott! I am a great cook but I do not do bread or pastry. It is an art and you look like you are great artist!

It comes down to the product, and a bakery has to have a committed, trained, and passionate baker running it.[ATTACH]14493
Here’s some of my sourdough

Supposedly they do, they've got 3 (or at least used to, according to a Gazette article, I believe) - a baker for the bread, one for the croissants, and a pastry chef for the pastries.

It comes down to the product, and a bakery has to have a committed, trained, and passionate baker running it.[ATTACH]14493
Here’s some of my sourdough


I've been having really good success with the Tartine method. Takes a long time, but the loaves are phenomenal.

Perhaps, but Prairie Thunder also eventually failed.

Staff at Prairie Thunder usually seemed putt off or downright rude when I went in too... it matters.

I really enjoy the pastries at Kitchen324 and En Croute, but that isn't their primary thing. Ingrid's does bread well too, but it's also not really their primary thing.

Perhaps, but Prairie Thunder also eventually failed.

I was under the impression that Prairie Thunder closed up shop not because of business failure (they supplied breads to several area restaurants), but because the owner just didn't want to do it anymore. Was this not the case?

I was under the impression that Prairie Thunder closed up shop not because of business failure (they supplied breads to several area restaurants), but because the owner just didn't want to do it anymore. Was this not the case?

I think that was part of it but I know they did not get much for the equipment and such when they walked away, and that tells me they couldn't demonstrate much of a profit to any potential buyer.

They announced they will be closing on Facebook.

I wonder if the cryptic message from Old Germany has any relation, or if it’s just coincidence.

Closing as of Saturday per their Facebook page.

Major bummer.