Meatloaf meets its match

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Cynthia Kallile loves meatloaf. Big deal, right? Who doesn’t? But there’s a significant difference between Kallile (pictured) and the rest of the meatloaf-loving masses: She spent three years perfecting her recipes, added one wildly imaginative twist, then left her job in corporate communications to dedicate herself entirely to the iconic American comfort food.

Last week, Kallile opened the Meatloaf Bakery, a carryout-focused Lincoln Park spot where the lineup includes eight varieties of meatloaf, from the classic Mother Loaf, based on her mom’s recipe, to the Wing and a Prayer Loaf, a Buffalo wing-inspired ground chicken loaf with blue cheese running through it. There are also daily specials like Lamb-a-Licious, Nutty Veggie Loaf and Chicken Shish-Kaloaf, Kallile’s attempt to replicate the taste of a chicken shish kebab in meatloaf form.

Except—here’s the twist—it’s not exactly in meatloaf form. Kallile’s meatloaf is shaped like cupcakes and baked goods, then "frosted" with a potato, cheese or veggie topping. The Italian Loaf-a-Roma, for example, is formed to look like a cake and frosted with angel hair pasta tossed in marinara sauce, while the No Buns About It Burger Loaf is in cake form, frosted with three-cheese mashed potatoes.

As restaurant concepts go, it’s easily the wackiest thing we’ve heard of all year. So we called up Kallile, hoping for a glimpse inside the creative mind of a professional meatloaf cupcake baker.

We have to ask: Why meatloaf?
I’ve always wanted to do something with food. … I come from a cooking family. My mother’s an amazing cook and I like to cook. And I just like to play with recipes and not follow recipes—and meatloaf is a perfect way to do it, because you can throw ingredients together.

But how do you get from regular meatloaf to meatloaf shaped like baked goods?
I started working on different recipes, and I had an assist from my nephew in New York, who’s a foodie. And in New York, there are these one-item concepts, and we just said, you know, let’s go with meatloaf. And then I had the idea, with all the cupcake frenzy—you know, meatloaf basically is unattractive—so let’s make it fun-looking.

So you sell meatloaf in the shape of a loaf and meatloaf in the shape of cupcakes. But is it really meatloaf if it’s not a loaf?
That’s where we kind of stretch it a little bit. Every offering is made in a cupcake for single serving. But for people who want to buy a pastry, we have five options. It can either be a loaf or it can be a layer cake or it can be a pie. For example, our Herby Turkey, the pastry version is actually in a pie. Our salmon, our Omega-3 Loaf … that is in a puff pastry tart. And we have a Yule log.

What’s next?
You know how you get the profiteroles with the ice cream? I’d love to do just little profiteroles with a blop of meatloaf. You could do like a jelly roll … the possibilities are endless.

Your menu says you’ll do special orders. Would you ever attempt a meatloaf wedding cake if some meatloaf lover wanted one at her wedding?
Sure, why not? Depends on how many layers she wants … that would be tricky.

You obviously like meatloaf. But do you like cupcakes?
Yes, I’ve always liked cupcakes. I’m kind of a purist, which is interesting, because I’ve created all of these interesting variations on meatloaf. But when it comes to cake, I just like a wonderful vanilla cupcake with a fabulous vanilla frosting.

Have you heard of Meat Loaf, the musician?
Oh, yeah! I have. "Bat out of Hell." I like a couple of his songs.

Do you have a favorite?
No, but maybe I’ll have him here for my grand opening. Wouldn’t that be fun?

M. Kathleen Pratt is the Metromix dining producer. kpratt@tribune.com

>> Read First Bite: The Meatloaf Bakery on The Stew.