Old School Bakery Café: baking as art in Delray Beach

Old School Bakery and Café

814 E. Atlantic Ave.

Delray Beach, Florida  33483

561-243-8059

Old School Bakery - Wholesale at 45 N. Congress Ave, Delray (561-276-0013)

http://www.oldschoolbakery.com

By Jane Feehan

It’s hard to think of grocery store bread as the staff of life it once was. With chemical preservatives, and nutritive value processed into oblivion, modern day bread seems little more than an envelope to keep sandwich fixings together. Here and there, however, throughout the country, some food artisans diligently bake to restore bread’s old reputation as a meal mainstay – and a work of culinary art. In Delray Beach there’s one such place, Old School Bakery.

European-trained baker Billy Himmelrich and his team are wowing retail and wholesale customers (including nearby Deck 84) with a scrumptious lineup of baguettes, sourdough loaves, bread crisps, Focaccia bread, raisin walnut dinner rolls and more. When I stopped in at the café on St. Patrick’s Day, an empty, flour-brushed shelf marked the spot where Irish soda bread had sold out.

Sandwiches and soups, pastries and cookies are also available at the café, making it a great spot for a continental breakfast or light lunch. Old School bakes up some of the best rugelach I’ve had in South Florida – light, flaky, and loaded with flavor The menu, written on a board, is limited to a few sandwiches and soups but I’ve never been disappointed. There’s only a table or two inside but more outside on a covered patio. There’s definitely a European look and feel to the Old School Bakery Café.

The wholesale arm of Old School Bakery, open 365 days a year, operates on North Congress Avenue in Delray. This baker's growing list of commercial patrons includes those who know good bread is the opening act or mainstay of a memorable meal. 

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