Northwest of Chelsea, a black-and-gold sign announces “Mill Pond Bread” with the fleur-de-lis symbol of the French kings. The fragrance of baking–depending on the day, it might be Lithuanian rye bread, sourdough olive twists, coconut honey cakes, or blueberry scones–fills the air. Attached to the bakery is the home of owners John and Colleen Savanna, where every room has a view of Sugarloaf Lake. Like a scene out of Middle Earth, graceful willows line the shore, joined in the summer by water lilies and cattails.
It’s a long way from a teepee at Frog Holler.
In the 1970s, John Savanna recalls, he was a “certified hippie.” A conscientious objector to the Vietnam War, he paid his penance to his draft board by collecting rubbish on a military base in Manhattan, Kansas, for eighty-eight days. Debt paid, he and Colleen moved back to Michigan, where he worked at a vegetarian restaurant in Ann Arbor. Its founders had also started Frog Holler farm near Brooklyn, and John and Colleen set up camp there.
Like the artisanal breads for which John would later become known, their first home was handcrafted and unconventional. He dug a hole three feet deep and built a wooden barrier around it, then cut saplings and arranged them in a sturdy teepee framework that he covered with canvas. He incorporated wood flooring along with an underground air and exhaust system. Despite the cold, the young couple made it through the winter in free-spirited style.
Cozy as it was, it wasn’t a home for a family. When the first of their three children, daughter Jessica, was born, John knew he had to stake a more serious claim on work. He tried various gigs like painting commercial buildings, but nothing quite fit until he founded Mill Pond in 1980. Originally located in Waterloo, it was one of the area’s first artisanal bakeries. Years later, Colleen would discover that John had taken up a family trade: his maternal grandfather was a master baker in the Champagne region of France.
Mill Pond Bakery remains a family enterprise. Son Jonah works side by side with his father every day. Younger son Steven is the financial manager and handles product packaging and web design. Though Jessica has moved and is raising her own family, she keeps in close touch. Colleen provides general support and quality control. “I get to sample everything,” she says, laughing.
John and Jonah’s bakery work is marked by two characteristics: perfection and experimentation. To create subtle new flavors and textures, father and son experiment with ingredients, from wild rice to potatoes to sauerkraut, whitefish, chocolates, and fruits. John says they work on things until they get them exactly right before they are offered to the public at Mill Pond’s stall at the Ann Arbor Farmers’ Market.
Mill Pond’s business model might be described as heart-centered. John trades scones for leeks and parsley from Frog Holler, his old friends from teepee days, and swaps with other local growers for seasonal produce like blueberries. Young volunteers who staff the Mill Pond farmers market booth are paid for their labors in bread. The Savannas often give their baked goods to friends and neighbors.
As the Savannas look to the future, they are considering adding an outlet in Detroit’s Eastern Market; John sold there on a trial basis this winter. Mill Pond goods are also available Wednesdays and Saturdays at the new Argus Farm Stop in Ann Arbor.
It’s not a strategy likely to be taught in business school, but the old-fashioned, informal conglomeration of friends and family suits his business philosophy. “It’s not about money,” he says. “It’s about fellowship.”