Umpleby's Bakery & Café

We will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with the following offerings:

Shamrock Sugar Cookies

Irish Soda Bread

Baileys Irish Cream Cheesecakes

Guinness Brown Bread

Festive cupcakes, and maybe a few other surprises!

For lunch: Irish Colcannon Soup – Cabbage, Leeks, Potato and Bacon

and The Tipperary Sandwich -Ham, Lettuce, Tipperary Brie, Blake Hill Tart Cherry Preserves on a Milk Bread Torpedo Roll

And plenty of Irish music playing in the cafe!

And the patio is open!   We are taking advantage of the mild sunny today and opening up the patio.  We some tables out and are ready to go!

There is an article in the NYT today about a British super store that is changing the shape of the croissants they sell from the traditional crescent shape to a linear shape.   The reason for this change was, to quote an official from the super store, the “spreadability factor” – linear croissants are easier to spread jam and such than crescent shaped ones.  I should point out  that croissants have been around, according to the Larousse Gastronomique, since 1686.  I  mention their history in another post here.  It seems the crescent shape hasn’t been a problem for the past 329 years, why now?   I would suggest two reasons – The first is economic and second is how corporations do business in the brave new world.  You can fit more linear croissants on a sheet tray than crescent shaped ones so you can make more money in the same amount of oven real estate. The second,  the British super store is using this as a marketing gimmick to garner publicity – who cares about tradition.

Since I see myself as a traditional baker, a steward of the ancient art of baking, I will always make my croissants crescent shaped.   When you eat one of my croissants you will be eating something that came about from a conflict between two countries over 300 years ago.  And I think that is pretty neat.

It has become obvious to me that I need help in the bakehouse if I ever want to get the pastry cases filled.  I am looking for a part time / full time baker or pastry cook.  At least 6 months to 1 year commercial kitchen experience required or at least baking/ pastry school education.  Anything less will absolutely NOT be considered.  If this sounds compelling please fill out an application and send it to me.