Ben The Baker offers more than 40 varieties of pie, including Raspberry Pretzel Pie, Mini Fruit Pies, Chicken Pot Pie and Caramel Pecan Cheesecake. Photos: Chris Emeott
Ben “The Baker” Neumann has a winding journey to baking success.
At first glance, Ben Neumann’s resume might not look like the background of a bakery owner. The White Bear Township resident holds a degree in computer science, has served in the Army National Guard and Army Reserves, was deployed to Iraq, and has taught and competed professionally in mixed martial arts (MMA). But when Ben discovered a passion for baking in his 20s, he never looked back.
Ben’s first attempt at baking, during a training period for MMA, was for a church potluck. While his healthy dessert was a flop, he noticed the dessert platters of the church ladies surrounding him were empty. For the next event, Ben decided to make a sweet he knew would be a hit—a three-tier, black forest cake covered in whipped cream frosting. “The whole thing was devoured,” he says.
Ben Neumann
Following that experience, Ben tried new recipes weekly, bringing his desserts to Bible studies, church events, family gatherings and weddings, and working his way through baking books. Over time, he found a specialty in pies, thanks in part to his Grandma Neumann. “I remember my grandma making pies from scratch and having us help,” Ben says. “You make the little cinnamon strips with the extra pie crust. It was a big part of our family get-togethers.”
Another reason for the pies? Opportunity. Ben couldn’t find a quality homemade pie anywhere. “Cakes were all the rage in the early 2000s,” he says. “But in my mind, it’s really hard to get a really, really good pie.”
After years of keeping his baking a hobby—all while teaching MMA classes and competing under the moniker “Ben The Baker”—Ben’s first sales came in 2016, after he posted on Facebook to see if anyone was interested in buying home-made pies for Thanksgiving; the post attracted orders for more than 100 pies. He called in reinforcements, and his mom, Joan Neumann, and aunt, Diane Neuman, helped him peel 300 pounds of apples and buy an extra freezer to store the pies. That experience proved to Ben that people are willing to spend more on a quality, homemade pie.
In 2017, Ben and his wife, Hannah Neumann, converted their home garage into a licensed bakery and officially opened Ben The Baker. Sales soared through family, friends and word of mouth. Now, Ben The Baker offers nearly 40 pie flavors, from fruit pies and cheesecakes to savory pot pies and mini pies, and homemade ice cream. Customers can stop in to see what “take-and-bake” or “thaw-and-serve” pies are in the freezers and pre-order their favorite pie or “Pie of the Weekend” through an online order form. Specialty pie flavors are sold fresh by the slice every weekend.
The creamy and tangy Caramel Pecan Cheesecake is topped with homemade sea salt caramel and toasted pecans.
While many of his customers live in and around White Bear Lake, some will drive from across the Twin Cities to get their favorite pies. During the holiday season, demand for Ben The Baker’s pies skyrockets; the bakery sold 1,800 full-size pies, 1,500 mini pies and 600 pints of homemade ice cream last November and December.
Ben The Baker offers savory and fruit “take and bake” mini pies that take only 30–40 minutes to bake at home.
Mary Helmerick first tried Ben’s pies after he became a vendor at the White Bear Lake Farmers Market. She has since been diagnosed with celiac disease and returns to Ben The Baker for the many gluten-free options. “The flavor is there; the quality is there,” Helmerick says. “If you compare apples to apples, you’re going to pick Ben’s every time. It’s like when you … have a fresh tomato out of the garden and then you buy a tomato at the grocery store. You can taste the difference.”
Area resident Emily Witter calls Ben and his creations the “backbone of our family celebrations.” Whether she’s grabbing a Tigerstripe Chocolate Cream Pie—her personal favorite—a Raspberry Pretzel Pie or a Caramel Pecan Cheesecake, anything from Ben The Baker is sure to satisfy the whole family’s cravings. “We get them for everything—birthdays, holidays,” Witter says. She even grabs a couple of savory pies when her in-laws visit—one to share and one to send home with them. “[Ben’s] personality and meeting him and his family over the years make me feel like I’m really supporting a family business, and that’s what I love,” Witter says.
Regular customers have been able to watch the growth of Ben’s family, as his daughters, who are 18 months old and 3 years old, spend time in the bakery beside him. He notes that his eldest, whom the Neumanns adopted and brought home from the NICU at 4 pounds, can now have full conversations with customers. “People get to see her grow up,” Ben says. “That’s the fun of being a family business.”
The current at-home business model is well suited to the family’s lifestyle, as the Neumanns can split time being at home with their children. “The whole reason we’re doing this is so we can raise our kids through fostering and adoption, to be able to help some kids through this avenue and give them a better start … There’s no way we could have made it work without having the bakery,” Ben says. “We’re really appreciative that people spend a little more to come to us.”
Ben The Baker
Facebook: BenTheBaker
