Meet Randy and Lucy Hines of Kolache Shoppe in Greenway Plaza

Today we’d like to introduce you to Randy and Lucy Hines.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Opening its doors in 1970 on Richmond Avenue, the Kolache Shoppe began a legacy of serving delicious kolaches in what was then the suburbs of Houston. The original owner, Erwin Ahrens, developed a dough recipe that captured the essence of authentic Czech kolaches by (in his words) “talking with all of the Czech grandmothers that I knew about their family kolache recipes.” He learned from these seasoned bakers that truly the only recipe for successful kolaches was preparing them from scratch, using fresh ingredients and giving them time to rise. There was no rushing a great kolache.

In addition to making traditional kolaches filled with sweet fruit and cheese, Mr. Ahrens also incorporated the Texas touch of adding savory meats to his sweet kolache dough (properly called “Klobasniky”). The Kolache Shoppe quickly grew to serve many local residents and businesses, and gradually “moved” to the heart of the city as Houston expanded.

In 2006, Randy was eager to learn the art of kolache making and he called upon his local favorite, the Kolache Shoppe, to see if they would teach him their beloved craft. A consultant by trade, his travels took him far and wide, but he found that he always missed the great foods of Texas. Having grown up in the Czech belt of Texas, he had developed an affection for authentic kolaches and believed that Mr. Ahrens’ Shoppe had the best kolache dough in Houston.

After spending a year in our nation’s capital with not a kolache in sight, he called Mr. Ahrens and asked him to teach him how to bake. It turned out that Mr. Ahrens was more than glad to introduce him to the art: it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Eight years later in 2014, after 44 years of serving kolaches to the Houston community, Mr. Erwin Ahrens proudly passed his Kolache Shoppe on to Randy and his wife Lucy, handing down a delicious, hand-crafted legacy of authentic kolaches. Now three years after taking over the Shoppe, Randy and Lucy are thrilled to offer the same authentic high-quality kolaches that have been coming from the Shoppe since 1970.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Although we started with lots of passion and energy when taking over the Kolache Shoppe, we had ZERO training or experience in the food industry, which posted quite a challenge in the first couple of years! But, after many lessons (some easy and some hard), we have been able to come up to speed and run our bakery in a more efficient and effective way.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Kolache Shoppe – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Kolache Shoppe has been making from-scratch kolaches for over 45 years. We are known for our soft, sweet, pillowy dough, which is made from 100% real butter and stuffed with high-quality meats and fruit fillings. We are local owner-operators who love our craft and our food community.

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
In the fall of 2018, we will be expanding to our second location in the Heights. We are really looking forward to joining the Heights community and partnering again with Boomtown Coffee to offer an amazing kolache stop and top of the line coffee program which will include a variety of espresso drinks. Another new feature will be our drive-thru which will allow those in the neighborhood to grab their kolaches & coffee quickly!

Contact Info:

• Address: 3945 Richmond Ave.
  Houston, Texas 77027
• Website: www.kolacheshoppe.com
• Phone: 713-626-4580
• Email: eats@kolacheshoppe.com
• Instagram: @kolache_shoppe
• Facebook: @houstonkolaches
• Twitter: @kolache_shoppe
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/kolache-shoppe-houston

Getting in touch: VoyageHouston is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.