In 2018, what started as a creative outlet for Deepal Patel has become a full-on business venture.
After experimenting with baking on her own and in classes with friends, Patel opened her bakery, The Pantry at the Lenexa Plaza shopping center.
Throughout its time in Lenexa, Patel said the bakery has continued to see more and more eager customers come through its doors each weekend.
After seven years serving customers in its Lenexa space, the bakery will close one chapter in hopes of opening another.
The Pantry will close its doors in March— but Patel hopes to eventually open it back up to customers in a larger space.
The Pantry has been at 7769 Quivira Road
- The bakery occupies a space at the Lenexa Plaza shopping center, just off 79th Street and Quivira Road.
- There, it operates near other eateries like Lanna Thai Restaurant and Mexican eatery Snack Bar.
- Patel said the bakery’s last day in business will be March 9.
The Pantry serves British baked goods
Patel grew up in Wales, and she said she aimed to bring a taste of the United Kingdom to Johnson County through The Pantry’s offerings.
“We specialize in European-style baking,” she said. “That means we use a little bit less sugar, and we use real butter — and lots of it.”
The bakery’s claim to fame, she said, is its scones, which are served with in-house prepared clotted cream.
The selection rotates periodically, but customers can generally also find other treats like Victoria sponge cakes, cinnamon rolls, and cheesecakes.
The Pantry also serves coffee from local coffee roaster Maps in Old Town Lenexa.
Though The Pantry was Patel’s first bakery of her own, she’d also previously worked as the executive pastry chef of Crown Center hotels and restaurants.
By opening a space of her own, she enjoyed being able to actually directly interact with and form connections with the people who enjoyed her pastries — as well as her local vendors.
“I kind of wanted to do something a little bit more artisanal and focus a little bit more on connecting,” she said. “Not just with the people that I serve, but the people who bring me the food too.”
Patel wants to ‘level up’ the bakery
In its seven years, Patel said The Pantry has steadily outgrown its current space.
After some time off, Patel said she hopes to eventually purchase a larger space for the bakery — one she owns instead of rents, with room for walk-in refrigeration.
“We want to level up, but we want to do it in a way that we can see longevity in,” she said. “It’s kind of scary, but if I don’t do it now, I’m never going to do it.”
Nothing is set in stone yet for the new location. But when the bakery does reopen, Patel said the new space is as close to its regular Lenexa customers as possible.
After all, she said, getting to introduce those customers to new British treats every weekend has been the best part.
“We have a very loyal clientele that’s willing to hand over their hard-earned money to experience what we’re putting out this week, because they trust that whatever we put out is going to be great,” she said. “That’s kind of our pride, that we’ve helped people sort of branch out and enjoy something new. Not knowing what it’s going to be like, but wanting to experience it anyway.”
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