This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
La Momo Maes, a local bakery, makes its debut on cable television when a local couple starred in an upcoming episode of HGTV's House Hunters. During the episode, the local couple visited La Momo Maes Bakery for a cake consultation for their upcoming nuptials.
The episode is called "Crazy About Chicken" and is scheduled to air on HGTV on Thursday, January 10 at 11 p.m.
Co-owners Michelle Leaming and Cathy Fiegenschuch were excited to host the couple and the HGTV crew.
At the time of filming, La Momo Maes Bakery had two locations, the original location at 624 Kimbark St. and the new location at 900 South Hover Street, unit F. This episode was filmed at the former location.
After opening the new store in February 2018, La Momo Maes consolidated their stores to the Hover location in September 2018.
Leaming's dream is to have her bakery featured on a food-based television show. While House Hunters is not about food, she was thrilled to have the opportunity to showcase her cakes on t.v.
"I was very excited. We have had so much press about Longmont and on cable t.v. whether it's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives or the Food Network that have featured so many Longmont businesses. I was like, 'OK, when is it going to be my turn?' So when I got that call I was like, 'Yes!'," says Leaming.
After their cake tasting, the couple decided to purchase their wedding cake from La Momo Maes Bakery for their Summer 2019 wedding.
Leaming said that it was a great experience filming the episode and nothing like what she would have expected. She remarked that it was a challenge to remember exactly what she said for each take. Another challenge with the filming itself was having to stop due to the sensitivity of the equipment picking up noises such as planes and trains in the area.
"As far as the prep for it, it was just like a normal tasting. As for challenges, they were kinda just fun challenges that you wouldn't think about, like with the sound and some of the pictures I had hanging on the wall," said Leaming.
La Momo Maes has been a local Longmont bakery since 2011. They began with a small store on Kimbark and expanded to their new location on Hover when Romana Cake House closed their business.
Co-owner and Leaming's mother, Cathy Fiegenschuh, has been in the baking industry for over 40 years. Baking has been a tradition that has been handed down through the family for several generations. In fact, many of the recipes used at La Momo Maes originated with Leaming's grandmothers, including the pie crust recipe, which came from Fiegenschuh's mother. The recipe is so well loved that the family uses it in pies and the quiche.
Leaming moved from Omaha for a career in finance and accounting. A few years later, her mother and sister decided to make Longmont their homes as well. It was around that time that Leaming realized that the corporate world was not for her and she decided to open a family bakery with her mother.
The name La Momo Maes comes from a combination of family names. L is for LeeAnn (Leaming's sister), A is for Amelia (LeeAnn's daughter), Momo is for Fiegenschuh, a name given to her by Leaming's daughter instead of grandma, M is for Michelle, A is for Alexis and E is for Emily (both Leaming's daughters).
Since moving to the new location, the bakery has been able to expand their services. They now offer a variety of coffee and beverage options along with simple breakfast and lunch treats. With the additional space, customers are invited to sit and socialize while enjoying La Momo Maes' sweet offerings.
"We want people to come in and not feel forced to have a piece of cake. It is our goal to get a few more sandwich/lunch type options without it turning into table-service. Just something grab-and-go," says Leaming.
Expansion in the new space has also allowed the bakery to hire more employees. They now employ around 10 people, some of whom were hired on from the former bakery in the Hover space.
Currently, La Momo Maes is happy to be in Longmont and is busy expanding their services here. In the future, Leaming hopes to open another store closer to Denver to better serve customers in other parts of Colorado.
* The sentence "They began with a small store on Kimbark and expanded to their new location on Hover when Romana Cake House went out of business." has been updated to state "They began with a small store on Kimbark and expanded to their new location on Hover when Romana Cake House closed their business." to reflect the facts.
