The not-so-sweet news? Beloved DTR bakery Layered Croissanterie abruptly closed in February. The sweet solution? You can still get some of your favorites—plus new discoveries—thanks to the space’s new owners.
Paul & Jack, the Euro-style bakery that’s had Wake Forest salivating on the daily since opening about a year ago, has taken over the West Street fave. Owner Jacques Matar says the Layered team reached out to him “with the opportunity to carry on their legacy in their space,” which he gladly accepted.
The former bakery team remains intact, and Matar says they’re keeping some of the OG menu faves on offer to boot. In addition, you’re gonna wanna try Paul & Jack’s signature bombolonis, aka Italian doughnuts rolled in cinnamon sugar and filled with housemade cream or fruit confit—or any number of their other droolworthy confections. Warning: Addiction likely. @paulandjack_nc
If you’ve never met a carb you didn’t like, this one’s for you.
Nothing in the world compares to the smell of freshly baked bread (prove us wrong—we’ll wait). And it was La Farm Bakery that first began spoiling the Triangle with the scent—and impeccable taste—of fresh loaves when it bowed in 1999. But it wasn’t until 2013 that other breadmakers began to build on the toastiness of a true classic bakery—aka where you can scoop artisan homemade loaves hot from the oven, in addition to other baked goods, pastries and cafe items.
Yellow Dog Bread Co. initially filled the void, with Boulted Bread following closely behind in 2014. After another short gap, Andrew Ullom, former executive pastry chef under Ashley Christensen, stepped on the scene with pop-up-turned-brick-and-mortar Union Special to much fanfare. And so, now, we raise a toast to these four authentic bread bolsters fueling the area with delectable carbs. Here, where to break—and buy and eat!—bread throughout Raleigh.
Boulted Bread West End
Run, don’t walk, to DTR’s recently relocated loaf haven. Even if you’ve never been to Boulted’s OG location or its new one just a few blocks away, you’ve likely enjoyed a slice or two before at a local restaurant (it’s a staple fixture of many eateries). Crafted with a three-step process—“our mill, our hands, our oven”—each batch of bread starts with in-house stone-milled flour using organic and heirloom grains that are then mixed with water and salt, and left to ferment overnight until the baking process begins the next morning. And the results are, well, immaculate—hence its nod as the best bread in NC by Food & Wine last year (!). Hey, it’s a no-grainer. boultedbread.com
Union Special Gateway Plaza, Fayetteville Street District
With “special” in its name, you know Andrew Ullom’s beloved bakery is going to deliver some exceptional carbs. And, boy, does it. Come for the fresh loaves made from a blend of sifted and whole-grain flours from Lindley Mills—and boasting the perfect balance of crusty yet soft and airy—and stay for the breakfast, lunch and brunch dishes. Think sandwiches (naturally), salads, biscuits and gravy, and more… but especially keep your eye on the ’Gram to see what specials the team is whipping up each week at both locations. Oh, and always save room for one of the signature cookies. unionspecialbread.com
La Farm Bakery Cary, Fuquay-Varina
About as close to an authentic French boulangerie as you can get in the Triangle, master baker Lionel Vatinet’s traditional bakery honors centuries-old baking traditions and techniques he acquired while training at France’s prestigious artisans’ guild, Les Compagnons du Devoir—elevated by locally grown fresh ingredients. Now boasting five locations—including one at the airport—La Farm produces 15 different types of breads, plus an additional 20 seasonal varieties throughout the year, using a European-style hearth oven. Now that’s anything but crumby. lafarmbakery.com
Yellow Dog Bread Co. Seaboard & Person Street District
Who let the dogs—er, carb lovers—out?! Despite its name (an ode to founders Tanya and Matt Andrews’ yellow lab, Ellie), this quaint bakery is all about treats for humans. On any given day, the shelves lining the wall behind the counter are stocked with fresh breads of myriad shapes, sizes, textures and flavors, all of which are made from local ingredients, like flour from Lindley Mills in Graham, NC. Yellow Dog’s rotating and seasonal sweet and savory bakery case is also not to be ignored—tempting with the likes of homemade cookies, croissants, scones, pop tarts and more. Good luck choosing just one. yellowdogbread.com
Raleigh’s first (!) cupcake shop/boutique bakery celebrates a milestone birthday.
Want a piece of this? Sara Fitzpatrick has proven you can (literally) have your cake and eat it too, as her treasured The Cupcake Shoppe celebrates its 16th anny this year. After spending ~seven years in the corporate world, Fitzpatrick felt a lack of fulfillment in her career—and craving creativity/passion in her profession, she began tapping into the possibility of a sweeter gig.
“At the time, I was living in Florida and felt very interested in Raleigh,” says Fitzpatrick. “I wanted to get back to my home state and bring something to the area that seemed to be lacking. It was a combination of a love of beautiful sweets and wanting to start something of my own.”
And she truly baked her business up from scratch. After compiling a business plan, testing recipes, doing research on the DTR sector and drawing inspiration from bakeries in other cities, Fitzpatrick stumbled upon her storefront during a visit home one Thanksgiving.
“I discovered this space with its really big windows,” recalls Fitzpatrick. “The appeal for me was the idea of the neighborhood bakery. I wanted a quaint cozy cafe where people could come enjoy a pastry with a cup of coffee—but could also serve what I felt was an untapped market: the custom cake and specialty dessert niche.”
Before transforming into the cake concept it is today, the Glenwood South digs housed an old furniture refinishing warehouse, The Highsmith Interior Building. “The space was not anything you see today,” explains Fitzpatrick. “We had to transform it from the dirt up. When we saw the space, I knew I was ready to take the leap—and that was the spark that ignited the fire for me to jump in.”
To boot, building and maintaining a small biz is no piece of cake. Fitzpatrick attributes passion, commitment and community support to her sweet spot’s success over the shop’s 16-year tenure. “The biggest thing is, you have to be in it for the long haul,” she says. “Some years are easier than others… and there’s no handbook.”
So what makes Raleigh’s first custom cake shop so sweet? “We bake fresh every morning,” Fitzpatrick maintains. “The motto behind the product is you eat with your eyes, but it also has to taste really, really great.”
“Since we are a small-batch bakery, another special joy for us is that we are able to take requests from customers—and they bring us great ideas,” adds Arlen Mabe, the shop’s front-of-house manager. To add icing to the cake, the menu stays up-to-date with fresh dessert selects (in addition to its always available list of fan faves!).
To signify its sweet 16, the shop is debuting a special menu next month (from July 27–29), feat. fun flavors and added flair. Think: funfetti blondies, sprinkle cookies, sparkle lemonade (made with edible glitter!), and double chocolate brownies topped with giant swirls of frosting and fun sprinkles, to name but a few.
Cake connoisseurs can also keep an eye on Instagram throughout the week leading up to the big day for throwback pics and trivia Qs (winners score gift cards!)—plus, swing by the store July 27 to see a chalk mural by Peak City Chalk outside the shop and a selfie station/balloons inside.
“We are so proud to be able to tell people we’ve been open for 16 years,” says Mabe. “We sometimes feel like an unassuming storefront—but we stay true to what we do and I’m glad to see that it keeps drawing people in.” Cheers to many more years of sweetness! thecupcakeshopperaleigh.com
