Wellspring & Co. Bakery teaches students an endless list of life skills. From measuring ingredients and following instructions to packaging the finished products for sale, the STARs who choose to take the class enjoy the pride and responsibility of creating delicious desserts for the Castle Rock community.
Brianna Delmont and Kristin Arzbaecher manage the bakery and teach students. Both bakers/teachers are graduates of Johnson and Wales Culinary School in Denver, and both find great joy and fulfillment in running this full-scale bakery.
“It's the most rewarding job,” Kristin says. “The simplest things that we may take for granted every day can bring immense pride and a great amount of joy to our STARs.
“It has made me appreciate the small things in life,” she continues. “You can laugh about silly things and you don't have to stress about everything that goes wrong in your day.” making a cake better. It's so
Kristin and Brianne work and teach together, conducting two classes a day, with four students in each class. This small class size allows students to receive customized lesson plans that cater to each student’s learning style and special needs. “All our students have a hand in everything we make,” Kristin says.
As part of a public cooperative, students also have the opportunity to earn money from the treats they make. “The STARs sign that they're participating in the co-op, and they receive dividend checks based on the profit that month,” Kristin explains.
The Cookie That Started Everything
Mary Lou Fenton, the founder of Wellspring, was baking with her daughter Emily and a few of her friends in her kitchen. They were making oatmeal butterscotch cookies and they sold them. Sales went well, and soon they didn't have enough room in her house. So they rented out a space at a local church, then they got too big for that. The enterprise moved to Castle Oaks and partnered with them to renovate the space into a fully functional commercial kitchen.
The Wellspring & Co. Bakery still makes oatmeal butterscotch cookies, but Kristin and Brianne have graciously shared the recipe.
Mary Lou Fenton’s Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
12 oz. unsalted butter (softened)
6.5 oz. white sugar
11 oz. brown sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 lb. 1.5 oz all-purpose flour
12.5 oz. rolled oats
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 bag butterscotch chips
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
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Using a hand or stand mixer, mix together softened butter and sugars until smooth.
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Add egg and vanilla to butter mixture and mix until combined
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In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, salt, and butterscotch chips.
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Add flour mixture to egg and butter mixture and mix until combined.
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Dough will be sticky. Chill dough in the fridge for at least 45 minutes before scooping.
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Scoop about 3 tablespoons of dough per cookie, and place on baking sheets (roughly 4 inches apart) Bake for 13–14 minutes or until lightly browned on the sides. The centers will look very soft.
