Cinnamon Rolls and Semper Fi: Bolerjack the Baking Marine

It doesn’t take long to tell where you stand with John Bolerjack.

“According to the VA, I’m not a ‘people person”.

Turns out, he’s actually quite jovial, if uncompromisingly forthright, and yet armed intentionally or not, with an apt sense of humor.  Bolerjack says he was a hellraiser growing up, one of four brothers; he’s now an ordained minister and he calls Jim Williams a godsend for providing him with the building he’s now operating the bakery out of.  Bolerjack explains how his baking career took off.

“I was living in Florida and I brought my wife to Corn Day once and she said, ‘hey let’s move back to Carmi’ and I said ‘Are you crazy?’ (laughter).  Well you know who runs my house and it ain’t me.  So we moved back.  I was diagnosed with PTSD and I was having some issues, so I talked to my psychiatrist and she said ‘you were a baker in the Marine Corps; why don’t you bake?’ I was like, ehhh, why not.  So I started baking last March and it’s grown progressively and gotten bigger and bigger and finally I got my license.  First Bank is helping me with my financing, thank you very much.  They were the only ones that would help me that I went to.  I’m out of Brownsville.  I do donuts, cakes, yeast rolls.  My wife eventually wanted her kitchen back and that’s what led me to the building.”

Bolerjack started making donuts in the ‘70s at Big Johns before joining the military.  He recommends the cinnamon rolls.

“Cinnamon rolls are what I started with.  If you talk to people who have had my cinnamon rolls, they’ll tell you that’s what I’m actually known for.  I don’t eat them because I’m fat and have diabetes (laughter).”

The new bakery is located at 1114 Highway 1 in Brownsville and operates Tuesday – Friday 6am – 11am and Saturday 7am – noon.  You can find him and his menu on facebook and also place orders by texting 618-380-1882.