more than just a pastry

Nichole’s Fine Pastry, a namesake in the Fargo-Moorhead community for far more than a decade and for all of the right reasons. You may have seen her in People magazine’s “Cakes From Every State,” or perhaps it was Business Insider’s “Best Bakery in Every State,” or, you may have wandered in while exploring downtown Fargo to nourish that sweet tooth craving. We know the pastry shop for the fine delicacies and divine attention to detail, but what do we know about the woman behind the creme brulee? Her name is none other than Nichole Hensen, and her early life was spent helping her father raise Hereford cattle on their rural farm in Glenburn, North Dakota. As an only child, Hensen was quick to learn, had a hard work ethic and was determined to amount to nothing short of a success. Post high school, Hensen left the family farm to further her education at the University of North Dakota where she earned a degree in information management, which would later work in her favor in the midst of opening her own business. As Hensen explored her degree with a post-grad position at Scheels Sporting Goods entering data, she wondered to herself what else there was for her to explore, so she pursued her curiosity in Alaska, working at a remote fly fishing lodge and saving her money to put toward culinary school. She enjoyed her time spent working in the kitchen and keeping busy with hands-on tasks. During Hensen’s time at the lodge, she met a gentleman who chatted with her about what she had planned for her future endeavors. Hensen divulged to him that she had interest in pursuing a culinary career and was anticipating looking into a couple of schools upon her return home. The gentleman, a stranger at the time, generously offered Hensen a family relative’s contact information that she could reach out to for a place to stay while visiting the Culinary Institute of America Greystone in California. Hensen took him up on the opportunity and not only stayed with the couple that came to be known as Mike and Valerie during her visit, but they also became her host family while she attended school.

During her education, Hensen was praised by her mentors, having been told that out of many of the students in her program, she was one where they could see a success story beginning to unfold, having been well known for her eye for precision, even receiving a ruler as a gag gift for graduation. After finishing her thirty-week program and spending a bit of time working at the upscale restaurant, TraVigne, in California’s wine valley, Hensen returned to the Midwest, settling into the Fargo-Moorhead area and accepting a position at the established VIP Room. Hensen maintained her position there for nearly half a decade, cultivating desserts, weddings cakes, and catering; a jack-of-all-trades. It wasn’t until Hensen saw the space for rent sign on the building that would one day become Nichole’s Fine Pastry — that she considered opening her own business. She jotted down the phone number on the building and soon after was holding the key to the door. It was during this time that her degree in business from the University of North Dakota came into play as she began to plan and budget for her future livelihood.

It was January of 2003 that Nichole’s Fine Pastry was established, just when downtown Fargo’s momentum began to grow as a local hot spot to eat, shop and live. By the time Hensen had officially opened her doors, the word had spread about the new sweet treat in town.

Nichole’s Fine Pastry offers a variety of European and American style products, inspired by her travels overseas, and focuses on food that people can relate to while incorporating a bit of adventure to keep it fresh. She’s continuously on top of what’s trending in the culinary market and incorporates that into her work.

As I sit with Hensen today, the shop is bustling with people who have stopped in for a quick workday lunch, or friends catching up over coffee and cheesecake. She explains to me that in being a business owner, challenges present themselves, as no single day is the same and that it’s vital she keep a finger on her to do-list, prioritizing tasks as they continuously present themselves. Although being a full-time business owner has its variety of turbulence, there’s no doubt that Hensen was made for the position. She finds the responsibility of working for herself very rewarding and prides herself on using locally grown ingredients whenever possible, utilizing her knowledge of working on the farm growing up to put toward her food quality and nutritional value. She strives for that home grown taste, which sets her apart from other competitors not only locally, but nationally. She’s also very fond of the wheat the she displays on the counter every fall, as it reminds Hensen of home and what’s going on at the farm, knowing that the wheat they’re growing will turn into the flour she’ll bake with, coming full circle.

It’s safe to say that Nichole Hensen has plenty to be proud of, but the moments that bring her the utmost contentment are when she peeks her head out of the kitchen. What she often sees is a shop full of customers enjoying her creations, in an environment of learning that she’s cultivated for a staff who are eager to grow in the craft, just as Hensen had been once upon a time. The student is now the teacher.