Founded in 1993, Metropolitan Bakery is the brainchild of pastry chef James Barrett and onetime restaurant manager Wendy Smith Born who met while working at local-food landmark White Dog Café.
Barrett’s slow, methodical process involves natural yeast made from fermented grapes and figs, rising in rye-dusted willow baskets and a final turn in a steam-injected stone-deck oven. The result is Metropolitan’s signature hearty-textured and intensely flavored bread, now a local institution and chef favorite.
Today, the bakery boasts five locations around the city, all of which trade in their artisan, old-world European creations like flour-dusted organic miche, crusty baguettes and round cracked wheat loaves. Metropolitan also sells delicate breakfast croissants, muffins and brioche; cakes, cookies and fine pastry; homemade granola and other delicious treats from local food producers.
