Who doesn’t need a little taste of Bavaria in their life, especially when it comes in the form of a Franconian Apple Strudel. That is one of Dagmar Ratensperger’s specialties which she whips up at her cozy little spot in Old Saybrook, Connecticut called Dagmar’s Desserts and Cafe.

Dagmar first transplanted herself in Connecticut from Nurnberg, Bavaria in 1994 and set up a place in Deep River, Connecticut where she started to make her Bavarian and Austrian dessert impact on Nutmeggers. If you’re looking for Stollen and Lebkuchen or even Bienenstich, Donauwellenkuchen or Schwarzwalder Kischtorte she makes that too. She then moved down to the shoreline and just happens to be right across the street from the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center on Main Street. Being on the board of trustees of The Kate, I know how often folks head over there before or after a show.

It really is hard to resist Dagmar’s strudel. Walnuts and raisens are added and it’s the recipe of Dagmar’s Mother, in fact a lot of the things she makes are straight from home like she remembered as a child.

She has other pastries and cookies too for that mid afternoon “I need a sugar high thing.”

Dagmar brings back small dioramas, cards, from home depicting life in Bavaria that are all over the shop and are for sale.

When you combine all of this and music from her native land and the atmosphere, you’re all set for a trip away from home without ever leaving, except for to drive to Dagmar’s of course.

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