Since the year 2000, Kolache Rolf’s has served kolaches straight out of the oven every morning, with flavors ranging from savory Slovacek sausage to cream cheese filled. Although one man is behind the store, he has a very important friend to thank for the success of his business.
Kolache Rolf’s owner, Rolf Larson, bought his first pig when he was 8 years old. While taking care of him, he learned a lot about discipline and respect even at his young age, he says.
“You’re taught that it's a responsibility,” Rolf says.“Having those animals, and particularly the pig, it got you on a schedule to feed and water and keep the pins clean. You just kept on working with it. If I did not, then I would get in trouble for not taking care of my animals. So it teaches you a little respect.”
At the time, a family friend of Rolf owned a bakery in Houston, and Rolf’s dad frequently brought back old kolaches to feed to the pig. Rolf’s dad found it fitting to name the pig on two things he definitely knew it liked — kolaches and Rolf. The two were such a tight team that a caricature they had done at the Houston Livestock Rodeo was something Rolf kept with him throughout many years .
“I kept finding it, finding it. And finally, one day, I was just about to get married and I opened up a big memorabilia briefcase and I found this photo and went, ‘That's what I need to do, I think that's my sign from God that says go open up a bakery.’ We moved over to College Station and began operations.”
Rolf didn’t have much experience with baking at all despite a short amount of time working at a bakery in Houston. Having graduated from Sam Houston State University with an Agricultural Business degree, Rolf got a lot of advice from his family-friend baker from Houston who filled him in on how to run the business.
“We mostly just jumped right in,” Rolf says. “We didn't make our first kolache until the day we opened, honestly. So yeah, it was a very tense time to get to that point to open.”
The first Kolache Rolf’s opened in 2000 on Rock Prairie Prairie Road, with a Texas Avenue location following in 2003 and University Drive in 2015. Rolf says that he’s looking to expand outside of the Bryan-College Station area or possibly franchise, but a lot goes into making the products what they are.
“We basically prepare everything the day before,” Rolf says. “We put our products in the cooler and it gets the time to rest, it allows yeast to kick in. We will come in at about four in the morning. We will proof and bake the products, so what we do today, we’re prepping for tomorrow, basically. I've got a really good staff doing that. But we've also expanded … so we produce a lot of products for food service or grocery chains.”
Their menu offers sweet and savory kolaches, breakfast sandwiches, cookies, and lunch options. Drinks options include coffee, chai tea, soft drinks, hot chocolate and more. The most popular items, Rolf says, are their Slovacek sausage kolaches, cream cheese kolaches and classic bubba bun breakfast sandwich.
“Our kolache dough, that's my recipe,” Rolf says. “Most everything we bake in our store is used with that. The meat kolaches, the fruit kolaches, the cinnamon rolls, our sliders for bread. That's all the same kolache dough that we use. We kind of keep it a little bit simplistic, try to stay focused on what we're therefor.” Having owned his business for 23 years now, Rolf says his favorite part about his role is the flexibility it offers him. With a wife and kids, he’s able to be present in important moments.
“Our three kids are basically grown now, but it allowed me to participate or go to most every event that they had,” Rolf says. “Their school or sporting events and so forth. So flexibility is definitely the main thing, and the freedom to come and go somewhat.”
Kolache Rolf’s frequently caters for events at Texas A&M, and Rolf invites those who haven’t tried his kolaches to come into any of their locations.
“I want customers to try all kolaches from different areas of the state, but definitely come in and give us a shot,” Rolf says. “We have a different flavor than most which give us our repeat business.”
Kolache Rolf’s has three College Station: Kroger Shopping Center (3525 F Longmire Drive) on Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to noon and Saturday and Sunday from 7a.m. to noon; Texas Avenue (2307 Texas Avenue S.) on Monday through Friday from 6:30 a.m. to noon and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m.to noon; Gateway Center (800 Earl Rudder Freeway) on Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. For more information,visit kolacherolfs.com.
