A bakery and cafe set to open in Atlanta is about to dash all your low-carb diet resolutions.
Root Baking Co. is set to open in a "prominent Atlanta food hall" in early- to mid-summer, according to Chris Wilkins, who owns Root with his wife, Nicole (who also has a "day job" as a pharmacist). Root has been selling wholesale and at farmers markets in Charleston since 2015.
Though he's not yet able to confirm the exact location, Wilkins said the spot will be open for breakfast and lunch with a grain and vegetable-focused menu and will sell a variety of breads as well as pastries including croissants and cookies. The Root space will likely be used for pop-ups during off hours.
If Root's bread tastes familiar as you tear into it, there's probably a reason -- this isn't Wilkins' first foray into baking in Georgia. He worked at Independent Baking Co. in Athens, where he met Hugh Acheson, and later set up the bread program at Acheson's now-shuttered Savannah restaurant The Florence.
Wilkins said while he and Nicole love Charleston, the popularity of the city was "a blessing and a curse" when it came to finding affordable space to open a retail component of their business.
Yvonne Zusel
Yvonne Zusel
"We saw an opportunity to move to Atlanta, and we had to take it," he said. Root head baker Joe Shea is taking over the space in Charleston and will operate a bakery under a new name.
Root Baking Co. will continue to "put our money where our mouths are as far as local sourcing," Wilkins said, using regional grain distributors such as Anson Mills, as well as grains from farms in North Georgia in its products. In addition to selling retail, Wilkins said Root will also look to sell to restaurants in the Atlanta area.
Check back for more details on Root Baking Co.'s exact location and opening date.
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