Brit Bakery Is Opening in Cambridge

by Marc Hurwitz

A bakery business that has had popups in Arlington over the past year or so is opening a brick-and-mortar shop in Cambridge, moving into the space where another bakery had been before moving to a new storefront.

A message sent by Leah Klein of City Living Boston indicates that Brit Bakery is opening in the former Violette Gluten Free Bakery space on Concord Avenue, with a note on Brit's website stating that the store is slated to open on Thursday, January 24. The business, which has had pop-ups at The Local Fare on Lake Street in East Arlington, offers such items as cakes, cupcakes, scones, tarts, cookies, and breads, with its website being set up for customers to buy products online.

Violette Gluten Free Bakery moved from Concord Avenue to a space on Mass. Ave. near Porter Square last fall.

The address for Brit Bakery is 407 Concord Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138. Its website can be found at https://britbakery.com/

[Earlier Article]
Violette Gluten Free Bakery in Cambridge Is Moving, Cites Increased Rent As Reason

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Ten Items from Bakeries and Pastry Shops in the Boston Area and Beyond]

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Vinal Bakery Moving into Former Pizza Palace Space in Somerville's Union Square

by Marc Hurwitz

A pop-up bakery is going to be moving into a permanent home, and it will be located in one of the hottest parts of Somerville.

According to a Twitter post, Vinal Bakery is opening a brick-and-mortar shop in Union Square, taking over the former Pizza Palace space on Somerville Avenue. The bakery business is known in part for its pop-ups at Bagelsaurus in Cambridge where it sells English muffins, and it also offers such items as banana bread, scones, breakfast shortcakes, tarts, and more.

If all goes as planned, Vinal Bakery could be opening its shop in the spring of 2019.

The address for the brick-and-mortar location of Vinal Bakery is 222 Somerville Avenue, Somerville, MA, 02143. The website for the business can be found at https://www.vinalbakery.com/

[April 19, 2019 update: Eater Boston states that Vinal Bakery is now open in Union Square.]

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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George's Bakery Products in Medford Opens Outlet Store

by Marc Hurwitz

A bakery company that has been supplying bread and rolls to dining spots for more than 60 years has added a retail outlet.

According to a Facebook post from the business, George's Bakery Products in Medford opened a bakery outlet store to the public a couple of weeks ago, with the shop offering such items as sliced bread, rolls, wraps, and English muffins. The Hall Street store is open 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM Monday through Friday and 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Saturdays.

George's Bakery Products distributes bread and rolls to such places as restaurants, sub shops and caterers in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Maine. Its address is 25 Hall Street, Medford, MA, 02155 while its website can be found at http://www.georgesbakery.com

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Ten Items from Bakeries and Pastry Shops in the Boston Area and Beyond]

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Violette Gluten Free Bakery in Cambridge Is Moving, Cites Increased Rent As Reason

by Marc Hurwitz

A Cambridge bakery is moving to a new location, and it apparently stems from a rent issue.

According to a source, Violette Gluten Free Bakery has left its home on Concord Avenue in the Fresh Pond/Huron Village area and is reopening in the former Coccinelle space on Mass. Ave. just south of Porter Square. An article from the Cambridge Chronicle/TAB confirms this, saying that the bakery was apparently facing an initial rent increase of 300 percent before being offered a 100-percent increase through a two-year lease instead. Owner  Leesteffy Jenkins stated that she wished to have at least a five-year lease for the bakery instead, and in late August, she said that she received an eviction notice. The post mentions that Jenkins was able to sign a ten-year lease for the new space, which is smaller than she had hoped for and will not have any seating.

A blog post from Violette indicates that the plan is to open in the new space Mass. Ave. October 26.

The old address for Violette is 407 Concord Avenue while the new address is 1786 Massachusetts Avenue; its website can be found at http://violettegf.com/

[October 23 update: A new blog post from the place mentions that Violette  has officially left its old home on Concord Avenue and tells customers to come visit them at their new Mass. Ave. location. (A pop-up on the site does state that it is still planning to officially open on October 26.)]

[October 30 update: The website and blog for the place indicate that Violette is officially open in its new home on Mass. Ave.]

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Ten Items from Bakeries and Pastry Shops in the Boston Area and Beyond]

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Joanne Chang Wins 2016 James Beard Award

The 2016 James Beard Award winners have been announced, and a local baker and restaurateur is among the picks.

According to the list of last night's winners, Joanne Chang of Flour was awarded Outstanding Baker, besting Mark Furstenberg of Bread Furst in Washington, D.C., Zachary Golper of Bien Cuit in Brooklyn, Belinda Leong and Michel Suas of B. Patisserie in San Francisco, and William Werner of Craftsman and Wolves in San Francisco. This is the first James Beard Award for Chang, who is also co-owner of Myers + Chang in Boston's South End in addition to being behind locations of Flour in the South End, Back Bay, Fort Point, and Cambridge's Central Square.

Other local folks who were nominated this year include Susan Regis of Shepard in Cambridge and Karen Akunowicz of Myers + Chang (both for Best Chef: Northeast) and Maura Kilpatrick of Oleana in Cambridge (for Outstanding Pastry Chef).

For a complete list of the 2016 James Beard Award winners, please go to the link below:

http://www.jamesbeard.org/blog/2016-james-beard-award-winners

[Earlier Article]
Four Local Names Included Among 2016 James Beard Award Nominees

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Quinzani's Bakery in Boston's South End Is Closing, Selling Building

A commercial bakery in Boston that has been supplying local businesses for nearly 100 years is shutting down forever, with the family behind the place selling the building as well.

The Boston Globe is reporting that Quinzani's Bakery in the city's South End is closing next week and that its Harrison Avenue building is being purchased by an undisclosed buyer. In the article, co-owner Rob-Roy Quinzani says "It's been a long time coming....There's presently no one in the fourth generation to hand it down to," while a statement put out by the business mentions that they are working with the state office of Labor and Workforce Development to help their employees find new jobs. Quinzani's business will be taken over by Calise & Sons Bakery in Lincoln, RI, which will work with Piantedosi Baking Co. in Malden on most of the products.

[August 14 update: A Facebook post from The Sausage Guy indicates that Quinzani's Bakery closes its doors for good on Sunday at 2:00 PM.]

[October 21 update: Based on a Twitter post from last night, it appears that the building housing Quinzani's Bakery is in the process of being demolished.]

Quinzani's Bakery first started out as a pastry shop in 1919 in the old Combat Zone, eventually moving to its present-day location approximately 50 years ago, according to the Globe. The company supplies dinner rolls, sandwich rolls, French and Italian bread, and more to about 800 dining spots, caterers, and food service companies.

The address for the soon-to-close Quinzani's Bakery is 380 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA, 02118.

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Ten Items from Bakeries and Pastry Shops in the Boston Area and Beyond]

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Brown Butter Bakery May Be Opening a Shop in Arlington

The folks who make baked goods out of a location in Cambridge may be opening a shop in a neighboring community.

Eater Boston is reporting (via a post in Boston Magazine) that Brown Butter Bakery, whose address is 1298 Cambridge Street in Inman Square, is looking to open a store somewhere in Arlington. The Facebook page for the bakers indicates that a shop might indeed be on the way, with the poster for the page saying "We hope so," "cross your fingers," and "it's still in the works."

Brown Butter Bakery makes such items as cakes, pies, cookies, scones, breads, cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, and pretzel rolls. Its website can be found at http://brownbutterbakers.com/

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