Flavor Of Oklahoma: The Eatery Delights With Baked Goods, Gourmet Lunches In Bartlesville

A Bartlesville bakery and restaurant is making a name for itself by combining gourmet lunches with freshly brewed coffee, baked goods, and community support. The Eatery by Three Kids and a Cake started small and has grown into something bigger than the owner ever planned.

Downtown Bartlesville is home to this unassuming café. It started small, and now a huge kitchen and growing staff are helping this place blossom. Local artwork and a massive array of desserts greet visitors stopping in.

“I said, ‘Hey, wouldn't it be so fun if we opened a bakery?’”

That’s the question Annie Saltsman asked her husband a few years ago when they moved to Bartlesville. She had been baking from her home and opened Three Kids and a Cake in 2018 in honor of her family.

“It was a lot of fun to me,” she said.

COVID forced a change in plans, and that’s when Annie met Marjorie Hackler, a chef in Kansas City, who was visiting her home in Bartlesville.

“Never in my dreams did I think I would come to my hometown and find my dream job,” Chef Marjorie said.

What was supposed to be a few months of being head chef turned into four years, and the place is now called the Eatery to showcase that there is much more than sweets.

“It’s special for people to eat what I create,” she said.

Chef Marjorie is starting with a seasonal menu item: the Fall Quinoa Bowl.

“This has got quinoa, sweet potato, cranberry and rainbow kale and toasted pumpkin seeds,” she said.

It’s dressed up with white balsamic, feta, and crispy quinoa. It’s crunchy, sweet, and fresh: it’s fall in a bowl.

The menu item that really began elevating the Eatery’s food is the bang bang shrimp tacos. Chef Marjorie starts by dredging marinated shrimp in cornstarch and then dropping the shrimp into the fryer. The tortillas get toasted, then she mixes the shrimp in bang bang sauce and garnishes the tacos.

“We’re going to put this red cabbage in lime juice and sesame oil,” the chef said.

These deserve a big bite, and the flavors are strong and balanced. You get everything in a bite: spicy, sweet, and crunchy.

The Eatery boasts baked goods of every kind, from seasonal items to staples like croissants, cakes, and all kinds of cookies, including the Reese’s peanut butter cookie and the sourdough chocolate chip. The sticky pecan bars are rich and decadent, and the raspberry cream cheese brioche roll is tart and balanced.

Annie says owning the Eatery is a dream she sort of fell into. She’s taken a step back from baking and focuses on community events.

“We’re able to serve the community in ways I wouldn't be able to as an individual,” said Chef Marjorie.

She says the Eatery allows her to be creative. She makes daily specials, helps with catering, and even hosts private chef dinners to flex her skills.

“I’m thankful for our staple items, but the freedom to do what we want is like no other,” she said.

But it’s also much bigger than that.

“My mother taught me hospitality and service and cooking for your loved ones,” said Chef Marjorie. “So it's just in me to do that.”

The Eatery by Three Kids and a Cake is all about the community. Whether it’s catering, a coffee, a cake, or just camaraderie, this place is all about scratch-made food with a touch of local love.

“There's no way I would still be here without the support of people here,” Annie said.

The Eatery by Three Kids and a Cake is located at 324 S Johnstone Ave, Bartlesville, OK 74003.

Email Kristen.Weaver@griffin.news for recommendations, or follow @kristeats on Instagram for behind-the-scenes.