The owners and Executive Pastry Chef Max Santiago quickly jumped on board and created the sticky-bun doughnut. The collaboration with Miami Smokers worked so well that Blocher reached out to The Salty Donut via Instagram. “One day I just messaged them and said, ‘I think your bacon would be good on our rolls.’” “I was seeing Miami Smokers pop up a lot on Instagram, and I had seen an article on bacon cinnamon rolls,” he says. More recently, Blocher noticed newer restaurants on social media with whom Knaus Berry Farm had no prior relationship, like Miami Smokers, and decided to start reaching out. ON A ROLL: One of the most popular items at Knaus Berry Farm is its cinnamon roll. HipPOPs, a local food truck, created a cinnamon gelato after getting the idea from food blog Burger Beast, and Wynwood Brewing Company developed “Dunkerbuns,” an American blonde ale infused with cinnamon rolls. Slowly but surely, Knaus Berry Farm’s produce and baked goods started to appear on other menus across the city. Daniel Ramirez, chef de cuisine of arry’s Pizzeria, valued the produce so much that he collaborated with Blocher to highlight the farm’s vegetables-and cinnamon rolls-on the pizzeria’s menu for an entire weekend. This put the ownership in contact with several local chefs and restaurant owners, including James Beard Award winner Michael Schwartz of Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, Harry’s Pizzeria and Cypress Tavern.
Quietly and with little fanfare, 61-year-old Blocher and his team have been pushing the boundaries of the farm’s traditions bit by bit-and helping local, young restaurateurs in the process.įARM FRESH: Blocher’s farm has helped produce flavors for Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink, The Salty Donut and Wynwood Brewing Company, among others.Ī few years ago, a local forager came to Homestead, purchased produce and delivered it to several Miami restaurants. In fact, locals would be hard-pressed to name much that’s changed about Knaus Berry Farm at all, other than a new sign that was put up after a hurricane destroyed the previous one.īehind the scenes and on social media, however, something is happening. If you asked its many loyal customers, they’d probably agree with that sentiment. We feel we are more caretakers than innovators.” “It started with strawberries and just kind of grew. “The farm started, and it wasn’t like there was this major business plan,” Blocher says. While open from November through mid-April each year, the farm’s peak produce season is January and February. Today the farm produces and sells “U-pick” strawberries and tomatoes, as well as mint, basil, parsley, cilantro, spinach, cucumbers, red lettuce, bib lettuce, gourmet lettuce, yellow squash, beets, zucchini squash, green onions, radishes and arugula. Two years later his brother, Ray (Susan and Rachel’s father), joined the business. Russell Knaus founded the farm in 1954, just a few houses east of its current location.
Of course, the bakery-which also turns out homemade breads, cookies and pies-is just one aspect of the business. Pillowy and ethereal with hints of honey and almond, at first bite this cinnamon roll makes you forget about every second spent waiting under the South Florida sun. And if you think the wait is excessive, then you’ve never had a Knaus Berry Farm cinnamon roll.
“The original owners saw lines, but they didn’t see lines like this,” Thomas Blocher says.Īlong with his wife, Susan, and in-laws Herb and Rachel Grafe, Blocher co-owns Knaus Berry Farm, a Homestead institution famous for its beloved cinnamon rolls.
During the holidays and on Saturdays, you may have even waited for three or four hours.
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Perhaps you’ve even stood in one, watching it drift into the gravel parking lot, only to slowly snake around the building like a lazy river full of neon pink inner tubes.
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