Crackling Crust Microbakery is a hands-on “microbakery” built around naturally fermented bread and a sense of community. Its baker supports nearby farms when possible and uses eggs from a personal flock of hens called “The Divas,” while sharing the craft through local farmers-market baking and sourdough classes.
All Good BakersAll Good Bakers, founded by Nick and Britin Foster after they began baking for regional farmers’ markets in 2004, runs Albany’s farm-to-bakery café with from-scratch breads, baked goods and casual meals. The shop helped launch the Capital Region’s first Community Supported Bakery in 2010 and builds its menu around seasonal ingredients, sourcing about 90% of them from vendors at the nearby Delmar Farmers Market from spring through late fall. Its Delaware Avenue kitchen also serves as a co-op workspace for other small local food producers.ALBANY, NY
The North Hill Bakery, LLCFrom a Chagrin Falls kitchen, North Hill Bakery makes small-batch sourdough wheat crackers using a 36-hour fermentation and all-natural ingredients. The woman-owned Ohio business grew from founder Katy’s pandemic-era sourdough experiments and the encouragement of local neighbors, with its original Black Pepper cracker still at the heart of the line. Its crackers now reach retailers across Ohio and in Chicagoland, ready for snacking or a charcuterie board.
Sandi's BreadsBorn in Sandi’s home kitchen while she homeschooled four children, Sandi’s Breads now makes small-batch artisan breads, pastries, and other baked goods inside Farmstead Farmers Market in Palmyra. Sandi began selling her first loaf, Honey Whole Wheat, at a local farmers market in 2002 and has since developed more than 40 bread varieties, with Tom joining her full time in 2006. The bakery fresh-mills its own whole-grain flour and teaches home bakers how to use it through hands-on classes.PALMYRA, PA
Blackbird Baking CompanySince opening in Lakewood in June 2009, husband-and-wife team Tom and Adria Clark have run Blackbird Baking Company as a neighborhood bakery making European-inspired breads and pastries by hand. Tom, a Lakewood native who trained in Portland, brings a baker’s craft to naturally yeasted levain loaves, croissants and the bakery’s award-winning Salted Chocolate Chip cookie. Everything is made from scratch and fresh daily, with ingredients including European butter and free-range eggs from local farmers.LAKEWOOD, OH