The current seasonal flavor for the toaster pastry at Lucky Lab is huckleberry with a dark chocolate glaze.
Pastry chef Ingrid Ryan recognizes how some seek comfort and familiarity in their food. “The nostalgia foods really kind of stand out to people because they instantly bond to them,” Ryan says. “You don’t have to really sell them.”
Story by Elise Horsak
Photos by Brianna Casselman
Whether toaster pastries are a distant memory from your childhood or a snack before your 8 a.m. lecture, they are the breakfast staple to grab as you walk out the door. Now, this treat is getting a makeover as Austin restaurants revamp the concept and turn it into a delicious art form.
One such restaurant is off of Guadalupe Street at everyone’s favorite coffee truck, Lucky Lab. In the new brick and mortar store, Ryan is serving her own spin on toaster pastries, offering classics like strawberry with sprinkles and introducing unique and seasonal flavors. Their latest flavor is red wine huckleberry with chocolate frosting and topped with gold sprinkles.
Born and raised in the city, Ryan has all of the characteristics of a true Austinite. She is community-based and socially-driven, devoted to local and seasonal ingredients and, most importantly, intrigued by weird flavors. However, the questions remains: how can one transform a wrapper-packed breakfast food into an irresistible pastry worth planning your whole day around?
The entire process is collaborative. Ryan takes her own ideas and mixes those with her staff’s ideas and the feedback that she receives from customers. “When we come out with a new menu we’ll do a staff tasting,” Ryan says. “They come in and they got to try the new Pop Tart, the new drinks, and then I get feedback, which is my favorite part. It’s really a big group project.”
Ryan describes the process of making the popular pastries as a labor of love.
New ideas are based on the time of year it is and what ingredients are in season, creating turnover in the menu. This ensures that her customers will keep coming back to see what is new each week. Throughout the year, however, there is one ingredient Ryan tests out. “I like to play with alcohol,” Ryan says.
After the planning process, the rest of the work is preparation. Ryan makes dough in advance so that she can have the pastries ready to prepare and sell each day. By watching through the window into the kitchen, you can see her artistic side come out as she crafts each pastry and glazes the icing and sprinkles over the finished product. The entire process is a “labor of love” as she calls it, but in this case, the real proof is in the Pop Tart.
Ryan’s keen insight to flavor combinations and her extensive baking experience in baking has put a modern twist on a old favorite, although she swears that they sell themselves. “It’s funny because nostalgic foods really sell well,” Ryan says. “There are some days that I just sell dozens of Rice Krispies. And it’s because people hold onto that and they have a memory tied to it.”
What can people expect in terms of future flavors? Without divulging too much, a cherry flavored tart is in the near future, and people can expect to see a s’mores one just in time for the holidays.
Located in Space 24 Twenty, Lucky Lab Coffee is the perfect pit stop for students as they are running to class. Whether they serve as a grab-n-go breakfast or are paired with a break at the counter inside the shop, these toaster pastries are a masterpiece that not only goes great with coffee, but also tugs on the heartstrings.
