Kaan’s Bakery opening second location in Rehoboth Beach
After less than a year in business in downtown Millsboro, Kaan Pomakoglu is opening a second Kaan’s Bakery on Wilmington Avenue in downtown Rehoboth Beach.
“I wouldn’t say I’m surprised. I’m happy,” said Pomakoglu, during a recent interview sitting in his soon-to-be-completed store. “A lot of customers are already coming from Rehoboth and we thought this would be a good location. So, here I am.”
Pomakoglu, 21, is from and was playing professional basketball in Turkey when he came to the United States a couple of years ago on scholarship. That life path came to a screeching halt because of COVID. He said he came to visit his parents in Millsboro and hasn’t left.
It’s been weird to not pick up a basketball for such a long time after having held a basketball everyday since being a boy, said Pomakoglu.
Pomakoglu admittedly has little-to-no baking experience, but that’s where his mom Emine comes in, he said.
“It’s always been her dream to open a bakery, so we did,” said Pomakoglu. “She bakes everything. She’s the real soldier.”
Located on the ground level of the Avenue Inn, the Kaan’s Bakery menu includes cakes, mini cakes, pies, pastries, eclairs, twists, donuts and breads. Pomakoglu said his favorite is a Turkish dessert called burma, which he says is basically a pistachio twist.
“It’s clean, tasty and fresh,” said Pomakoglu. “We’re not hiding anything. We want you to see what we’re doing. Delicious, homemade and healthy.”
Pomakoglu said when fresh pastries are made or a new recipe is introduced, he likes to share them with customers to make sure the quality is good.
“This way, customers feel like they’re in the kitchen too,” he said.
In addition to his mom’s made-by-hand baked goods, Kaan’s will have Turkish coffee, Turkey Hill ice cream, juices and other options.
It’s not just Pomakoglu’s mom who helps with the business, his dad Ozkar helps too. Ozkar was on hand for the interview, but didn’t talk, instead he made himself handy with a tape measure and mop.
“He can do any job. He’s very helpful with everything,” said Pomakoglu, adding he himself does marketing, internet needs and social media.
Pomakoglu said he’s looking to open mid-April, and while he’s still figuring out the hours of operation, he’s expecting it to be 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. to start. When the season comes, he said, Kaan’s will be open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
For more information on Kaan’s Bakery, 33 Wilmington Ave., Rehoboth Beach, go to kaanbakery.com, call 302-260-0647 or email kaansbakery@gmail.com. Kaan’s Bakery can also be followed on Facebook and Instagram.
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. Additionally, Flood moonlights as the company’s circulation manager, which primarily means fixing boxes that are jammed with coins during daylight hours, but sometimes means delivering papers in the middle of the night. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
