People have come in to the bakery and told me over and over, “I can tell this is really fresh!” And even more people come in and ask if my baked goods are fresh. The answer is always “Yes!” As a young child living outside Paris, I had the luxury of eating really fresh, in-season produce, and bread baked every morning. (I also ate delicious cheeses and other things most American 5-year-olds might not be so keen on). When I moved to NYC to go to culinary school, I was again surrounded by an abundance of freshness at the markets, the restaurants, the bakeries. Needless to say, CityGirl bakery & Market stands for freshness.

When things are fresh, they are at the peak of their quality. Procuring great ingredients is key in creating great food. Quality matters, and we’re willing to spend more money on good ingredients to provide an end product that we’re really proud of, and that, more importantly, you want to come back for. We are proud to buy produce from Gib’s Farm, a local, organic and sustainable grower that provides us with excellent quality seasonal vegetables. Our flours are all un-bleached and non-chemically processed. Our whole wheat flour is milled locally. We care about food, and hope that you will appreciate that.

When we first opened, the only foods we made were bread, pastries and soup (and the soup was just so people would come in the door at lunch time). Sourdough breads are cool because they’re alive. These complex breads leaven from a natural yeast (ours is called “THE SOUR”) that survives because we feed it just the right amount everyday and we let it rest just the right amount. We keep him at a comfortable temperature and, if we’ve done our job right, he never fails to perform. He smells funky, looks goopy and is so very sticky, but I love him and I have pride in him like he’s my baby. (I also get very worried and concerned when he doesn’t perform, and we get sad looking bread). Besides the work of THE SOUR on the bread dough, there is also the work of time and temperature (it likes a long, overnight rise in the cooler), and the work of our hands. It’s a wonderfully satisfying craft, making bread. From the people who mill the flour to the people who made my oven so many years ago, to me and my staff who shape the loaves on our beaten up wooden table, a lot of hands go into making that crusty, equally nutty and tangy loaf of sourdough you could be enjoying right now.

If I had had it my way, we would have only sold bread. Thankfully, I didn’t get my way. From the beginning, we’ve carried artisan domestic cheeses and imported cured meats and cheeses that are tough to find around town. I still drive to New Jersey once a month to pick up these provisions, ensuring we’re offering you products you cannot buy elsewhere locally. Our gourmet market also carries different olive oils, vinegars, jarred pestos and other items that compliment bread, or that can enhance your meal at home. Also, we have recently added a phenomenal sandwich menu and a full service deli featuring Boar’s Head brand meats and cheeses. We make all the sides in-house and we make our own sandwich breads and rolls. Each sandwich is made to order, so you know it’s really fresh, and exactly as you want it. We’re really pleased to offer our customers well-balanced, all-natural lunch choices.