Luisa Mills and her husband, Ronald, have owned Harbert Swedish Bakery for 10 years. Photo by Katie Johnson

By KATIE JOHNSON

katie@offthewater.com

Luisa Mills was born to bake. “My background came from my home in Italy,” says the tiny Italian woman, a warm smile on her face as she greets her regular customers as they walk in during a rainy morning at Harbert Swedish Bakery. Mills grew up in a family that was always baking, whether it was for weddings, birthdays or catered events.

Italian- and Swedish-inspired delicacies may seem like an unlikely combination for a bakery, but one visit to the tiny Red Arrow Highway town of Harbert will diminish all doubts.

Motorists may zip through the village without noticing some of its roadside treasures: antique stores, art galleries, a Kurdish restaurant, a bed-and-breakfast and gift shops.

But many people make the trip into the town for one reason only — Harbert Swedish Bakery’s freshly made pastries, breads, cookies and pies.

“It’s really a very nice business,” said Mills, who owns the business with her husband, Ronald. “My biggest reward is when people come in and say, ‘wow!'”

Mills immigrated to the United States from Italy when she was 14 years old.

“That’s some story,” she said. “My father had just passed away. We were dirt poor. (I thought,) ‘I’m going to go there and work hard and I will send money to my mom and sisters.'”

But life in America was not as simple as she had expected; money was hard to come by and the fare to return to Italy was too expensive.

She bought her clothes on a layaway plan, and worked two jobs to make ends meet. Mills lived briefly in Detroit, but resided most of her life in Illinois before moving to Galien, Mich., where she and her husband currently live.

“I love the country,” she said.

About a decade ago, Mills was seeking a restaurant to buy, but didn’t like her options. When the Harbert Swedish Bakery was up for sale, she purchased it with the intention of attaching a restaurant, which became Luisa’s Cafe.

“When I first opened, I had homemade things — pasta, lasagna, meatballs — but it was too much for me and my husband,” she said.

Her daughter, Vivian May, came in to help with the cafe and diversified the menu.

The bakery is extremely popular weekend mornings, especially during the summer.

“I sell some Swedish coffee cake,” Mills said. “My hottest seller is the (Swedish) cardamom. A lot of people like our onion rolls,” made of olive oil, onion and Swedish limpa bread.

Harbert Swedish Bakery offers everything from Italian sourdough (only on Saturdays, with reservations often recommended) and other breads like potato, pumpernickel and sticky buns; cinnamon rolls; coffee cake; pies; cookies; donuts; biscotti; kolachki; and a variety of fruit-filled pastries.

All rolls, coffee cake and bread are made fresh each day.

Some offerings, like the double-baked elephant ears, were a staple at the bakery before Mills bought it.

“Most of the things will stay here forever,” she said. “Business this year has been a shorter season. I hope the economy picks up for everybody.”

Mills greets more customers, who walk over to say hello before leaving with their brown paper bags of goodies. One man kisses her on the cheek.

“I enjoy talking,” Mills said of her customers, many regulars. “They really became more like friends than customers.”

Luisa and Ronald come to work at 1 a.m. and bake until 4 or 5 a.m. during the off-season, but come to work at about 10:30 or 11 p.m. during the summer.

“To me, this business means a lot,” Mills said. “I like the stuff to be the best. I love it. I love my business.

“For a 14-and-a-half-year-old girl, I’ve come a long way,” she said.

Harbert Swedish Bakery and Luisa’s Cafe are located at 13689 Red Arrow Highway, Harbert. Bakery fall and spring hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday through Sunday; it is closed Dec. 25 through mid-March. Cafe fall through spring hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Monday; it is closed Tuesday and Wednesday and the first two weeks of January. Its phone number is (269) 469-9037 and the bakery is online at www.harbert swedishbakery.com.