The Bakery House’s second location is under construction in Paoli Village Shoppes. Want to work there? Email Lucy at thebakeryhouse604@gmail.com.
Sweet news, Western Main Line. The Bryn Mawr bakery so popular it rents a U-Haul to distribute 2,500 Thanksgiving pies each year is heading your way.
The Bakery House has leased the former Sushi Nami building next to the Paoli Nudy’s and expects to open September 28.
Unlike the area’s newer bakeshops that specialize in French, Asian or gluten-free goodies, The Bakery House is a full-scale operation that makes everything from scratch – from award-winning chicken salad, croissants and quiches to gluten-free brownies, elaborate custom cakes and cupcakes, and those trendy, YouTube-famous dot cakes.
“We’re expanding because of the incredible support we’ve had in Bryn Mawr,” General Manager Lucy Ibrahim tells SAVVY. “Paoli seemed like a natural next step because many of our regulars live nearby.”
(Yup. People happily drive miles for The Bakery House’s bestselling apple-pecan-caramel pie and signature vanilla cakes.)
“Bryn Mawr is at capacity,” Ibrahim says. “A second location gives us room to keep up with demand, especially during the holidays.”
The Paoli shop will offer the bakery’s full lineup plus a few “mystery” menu items, she hints. Another perk? Easy parking – something Bryn Mawr customers have long wished for.
And yes, the famous pie-filled U-Haul will still roll each November.
“The U-Haul full of Thanksgiving pies is absolutely still happening at both locations,” Ibrahim says. “It’s a tradition our customers really look forward to.”
Meanwhile in Wayne…
Another prized bakery has turned a HUGE corner. And promptly sold out in three hours on opening day, Saturday, July 18.
Wild Yeast Bakehouse – the sourdough micro-bakery that famously began in a Bryn Mawr living room five years ago — just opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Wayne’s Eagle Village Shops.
Wild Yeast Bakehouse is now open in Eagle Village Shops near The Silverspoon. Its naturally fermented, easily digested breads are popular with diabetics and people sensitive to gluten.
The handsome new bakery, designed by Bryn Mawr’s Dames Design, evokes a classic French boulangerie with warm wood floors, detailed millwork, shelves laden with crusty loaves and a smattering of cozy bistro tables.
Owner and self-taught sourdough baker John Goncher at the new Wild Yeast Bakehouse in Wayne. Goncher left a career in corporate finance to launch Wild Yeast during the pandemic.
“I’m looking forward to kids’ fingerprints and nose prints on the windows,” says founder John Goncher. “We’re here to nourish the community. We make a healthy product, and we want to help educate people about healthy food.”
Stop in for a naturally fermented sourdough loaf, scone, cookie or cup of Gryphon-roasted coffee. Goncher also hopes to host baking classes, collaborations with local businesses, and talks celebrating the region’s vibrant food producers.
Assistant bakers Shannah Messinger and Holly Adair prepare cookie trays for Wild Yeast Bakehouse’s grand opening. Wild Yeast uses whole and ancient grains along with fresh fruits and herbs for its sourdough focaccias, scones, cookies and breads.
The move marks a turning point for the business. What began as a one-man production baking about 100 loaves a week in Goncher’s home has grown to 700+ weekly loaves, serving more than 240 Breadshare subscribers and wholesale partners including Gryphon Café, Mad Anthony Wayne Café, Rosie’s Coffee and Waverly Heights. You can also score score loaves at D’Innocenzo’s bakery in the Wayne farmer’s market and at the Media Farmer’s Market on Sundays.
“It wasn’t sustainable for me to keep running it on my own,” says Goncher, who rose at 3 a.m. on baking days. “I was either going to have to shrink it or expand.”
For now, he’ll continue baking wholesale orders at home while ramping up production in Wayne. A half-dozen bakers and counter clerks will lighten his load.
“If I’d kept it in my house, I knew eventually it would just end,” he says. “This gives Wild Yeast a permanent home – and the chance to keep growing.”
Wild Yeast Bakehouse, between The Silverspoon and Salon Thérésé in Eagle Village Shops, is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Leave a Reply