Kolache News

Houston's Kolache Shoppe opens first Dallas-area bakery in Celina

Kolaches and coffee at Kolache Shoppe.

Kolache Shoppe

A Texas kolache institution is headed to DFW: Kolache Shoppe, a family-owned bakery from Houston that's served scratch-made Texas-Czech kolaches and coffee since 1970, is opening a bakery in Celina — specifically the Celina Station shopping center at 605 S. Preston Rd., #100.

According to a release, this will be the fourth Kolache Shoppe and the first in the Dallas Metro area. It'll open in fall 2023.

UPDATE 2-12-2024: Kolache Shoppe is now open in Celina, serving kolaches and espresso.
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Kolache Shoppe is a long-time Houston favorite thanks to its sweet and savory kolaches, using an original recipe from 1970.

They have two dozen signature flavors such as apricot, poppy seed, apple, sausage, egg & cheese, brisket, and venison sausage, plus monthly specials on weekends, and a full-service espresso bar with beans from Houston roaster Geva Coffee.

Celina is a franchised location led by husband-and-wife team Jake and Courtney Poulsen, along with Courtney’s parents, Gary and Cindy Mechler of College Station, in partnership with Kolache Shoppe owners Lucy and Randy Hines.

Jake's background includes business leadership and restaurant management, and Courtney is a former middle school teacher. Both are enthusiastic about the opportunity that a Kolache Shoppe franchise provides to invest in themselves, grow something for their family, and serve the community.

“Celina has a great historic square that’s been there for more than a hundred years,” says Courtney. “They have activities all the time, and the community comes out for all of it. Kolache Shoppe is a very community- and family-oriented business, so it fits really well. We love being involved in the community and are excited to play a role in Celina by providing a quick and delicious breakfast option.”

The Celina bakery will comprise 1558 square feet with a fresh, nostalgic feel, featuring signature design elements such as a blue-and-white motif, wood pastry cases and espresso bar, and a Texas mural with iconic Celina landmarks.

In addition to counter service, a drive-thru window will allow for quick grab-and-go ordering and pre-order pickups of pastries and specialty coffee drinks. The bakery will also have a few seats inside and on a small patio.

Randy and Lucy Hines took over the first Kolache Shoppe from founding operator Erwin Ahrens in 2014. They modernized the bakery while honoring its legacy, then launched a franchise program in 2018.

The Hines and Poulsens are long-time acquaintances: Lucy and Courtney have been friends since middle school. Courtney met Jake, who hails from Knoxville, Tenn., while the two attended Texas A&M University. They live in Frisco with their four children and are active community members.

Courtney has childhood memories of eating kolaches while Jake discovered them in college.

"We didn't have kolaches in east Tennessee, but I've always been a fan of pastries and baking, so it was cool to discover something new and distinctly Texan," Jake says. "I've loved them ever since I got here."

breakfast openings

Ice Cream News

Kwality Ice Cream shop to bring creamy exotic desserts to Frisco

Kwality

Kwality Ice Cream

An ice cream chain with an Indian flair is dipping into Dallas-Fort Worth: Called Kwality Ice Cream, it's a concept founded in New Jersey that specializes in traditional Indian ice cream and cold drinks, and it's opening a location in Frisco, at 13089 Main St. #500, in a new shopping center.

According to franchisee Raju Vikey, the shop will open sometime in 2025. It joins two DFW locations already open: Irving at 8600 N. Macarthur Blvd., and Euless, at 1060 N. Main St. at Harwood Crossing shopping center, which opened in April.

Kwality Ice Cream was founded by food scientist Dr. Kanti Parekh and his son Anand, in New Jersey in 2003. It has expanded with 38 locations in 14 states including Pennsylvania, Florida, and Texas, where there are three locations in Houston and one in Austin.

“The idea was to create a South Asian-specific ice cream, which is more known for fruits and nuts,” Anand says. “As a Ph.D. in food and nutrition, my father’s background and expertise were in flavor. He used that to create very unique flavors and top notes to give a really good mouth feel and experience.”

They have close to 50 ice cream flavors with classics like cookies & cream, chocolate supreme, and butter pecan; but South Asian and Indian flavors dominate the menu with exotic options like green guava, lychee, and Nuttie Tuttie Fruitee, a berry-flavored ice cream with nuts and candied fruit.

There is also kulfi, a frozen dessert that's like ice cream but with less added air so it has a stiffer, creamier texture. It's served in slices and comes in popular Indian flavors like pistachio, mango, and rose.

Other novel frozen treats include cassata, an ice cream cake with three flavors of ice cream layered over sponge cake.

As with many Asian desserts, they're often less sweet than American-style confections. Wild inventions include the mawa rabdi cup, with ice cream, rice noodles, basil seeds, and rose syrup, topped with nuts and candied fruit; and Thandai ice cream, a staple at Indian festivals, consisting of almonds, fennel seeds, poppy seeds, watermelon seeds, rose petals, pepper, cardamom, saffron, milk, and sugar.

Rabdi is like a pudding, believed to have originated during the 1600s. Kwality makes it following the traditional method of slow-cooking milk until it thickens and reduces, enhancing its sweetness and creaminess, then adding ingredients like cardamom, saffron, and pistachios.

Pints of ice cream and frozen desserts range from $8-$11, and cassata ice cream cake slices are $7.

ice cream openings desserts