Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Rosenzweig.
Hi Matthew, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I actually came to baking from a completely different creative career. Before I ever worked in a bakery, I spent years producing photo shoots for magazines. I loved the creative side of that work, but after a while I found myself longing for a change and wanting to do something more hands-on and personal.
Baking started out simply as something I loved doing in my spare time, but eventually that hobby grew into something much more. I started working in bakeries and realized that this was something I really wanted to pursue. I worked at The Flaky Tart for many years before having the opportunity to take over as co-owner. That experience was a huge learning opportunity and gave me the foundation for what would eventually become The Baker’s Grove.
After The Flaky Tart, I found myself at a crossroads. The partnership I had hoped for didn’t work out, and I suddenly had to figure out what came next. It was scary to think about starting over, but I knew I wasn’t finished with baking.
Then, in November of 2020, I was sitting outside watching the sunset at my local orchard, and something about that moment sparked the idea of creating something of my own again. I went home and started sketching ideas for a logo, and shortly after that I found the space that would become The Baker’s Grove.
From there, it took about a year to renovate the space and build everything from the ground up, including the plumbing, electrical work, equipment and furnishings, while also dealing with COVID-related delays. It was a huge undertaking, but it also gave me a confidence I didn’t know I had.
We finally opened our doors in November 2021. We didn’t really have a grand opening because of the circumstances at the time, so we just quietly opened our doors and started baking. We sold out early each day that first week, which was a pretty amazing and slightly terrifying way to begin.
Since then, we’ve grown into a true scratch bakery focused on pastries, desserts, and sweet and savory treats, with a big emphasis on seasonal and local ingredients. Everything is made in-house, and we’re constantly creating new things based on what inspires us and what’s available from local farms and growers.
I think all of those experiences have shaped The Baker’s Grove. My background in the creative world still influences how I approach the bakery, from the way we develop our pastries to how we think about presentation and the overall experience. It’s really becoming a place where I get to combine the creative side of who I am with something I genuinely love doing.
Now, almost five years in, it’s become so much more than I initially imagined. It’s a business, obviously, but it’s also a community, a team of people I’m incredibly proud of, and a place where I get to keep creating. There have definitely been some very hard days along the way, but looking back, I’m really grateful that I took that leap of faith.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road, but I think a lot of what has made the business what it is today has come from having to figure things out along the way.
When I first opened The Baker’s Grove, I did so with two people who I was hoping would eventually buy into the business. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out the way we had planned, and I suddenly found myself having to run the bakery on my own. That was pretty scary at the time. There were a lot of things about the business side that I was learning as I went, and I had to figure out how to make all of those decisions myself.
As difficult as that was, it ended up being a really important experience for me. It taught me that I was capable of doing this, even when I didn’t necessarily feel like I knew what I was doing. It gave me a lot of confidence in myself and in my ability to figure things out.
That said, you’re never really completely on your own. I have an amazing team, and they help carry so much of the day-to-day work and bring their own skills, ideas, and creativity to the bakery. I couldn’t do what I do without them.
The business side can still be daunting for me because I’m naturally much more of a creative person. I love developing pastries, working with ingredients, and creating things, but there are a lot of less glamorous parts of owning a business that still have to get done. And maintaining any kind of work-life balance has definitely been one of my biggest challenges. When you own a small business, especially one that you care deeply about, it can be very easy for it to consume your life.
I’m still learning how to find that balance, but I think that’s part of the journey too. I’ve learned that asking for help, trusting my team, and giving myself permission to step away sometimes are just as important as being there every day.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We’re a scratch bakery specializing in pastries, desserts, and sweet and savory treats, but I think what really sets us apart is how much we embrace what’s around us. We work very seasonally and use as many local ingredients as we can, sourcing from nearby farms, orchards, farmers markets, and other local producers.
I love taking something that’s at its peak, whether it’s a peach, a strawberry, a tomato, or an apple, and turning it into something unexpected. It allows us to constantly create and change with the seasons, while also giving us an opportunity to support the local farmers and growers who make it possible. That’s probably what I’m most proud of: creating something unique while keeping that connection to our local community.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
For me, inspiration usually comes from everyday life rather than a particular book, podcast, or app. I tend to look to nature, the changing seasons, and whatever happens to catch my attention around me. A lot of the things we create at the bakery come from playing around with my own ideas, and our team is constantly contributing ideas too, so there’s a lot of experimentation and collaboration that happens in the kitchen.
We do have a pretty good collection of baking cookbooks at the bakery that we’ll refer to from time to time, especially for exploring technique, but I think the most exciting ideas usually come from taking that initial spark and playing with it until it becomes something that feels like us.
I like the process of taking an idea, experimenting with it, and seeing how we can make it our own rather than always looking for a recipe or a specific source to follow. At the end of the day, I think the best inspiration comes from staying curious, paying attention, and being open to where an idea might lead. That’s probably been true for me throughout my whole journey, and I think it’s what keeps baking exciting for me, even after all these years.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thebakersgrove.com
- Instagram: @thebakersgrove
- Other: email – thebakersgrove@gmail.com
