Nestled on Wolfe Street in the friendly city of Harrisonburg, VA, sits a quaint little bakery serving big flavor goodies: Bittersweet Bakery. Not only is it the cutest, but it's owned by two awesome pastry-chefs, Erica Ray and Alicia Barger.
The duo met and worked as colleagues in Asheville, NC, for some time, where they became close friends. At the time, owning a bakery was only a dream, but eventually, both of their families relocated to Harrisonburg, VA, and their dreams of owning a bakery finally became a reality.
While Bittersweet Bakery has been blessing us with goodies at the Harrisonburg farmer's market for a while, they've recently opened a store-front, as well.
"After living in Harrisonburg for 2 years, and doing ALL of our baking out of our tiny little townhome, we finally made the much needed jump to our new space on W. Wolfe Street," says Erica.
The bakery allows them to more easily sell temperature-sensitive items like cheesecakes and mousses, but they won't forget where they started.
"We love being at the Harrisonburg farmer's market, and we will continue to be there. It's how we got our start in this town. We're very grateful for that."
If you frequent the farmer's market, you've probably seen and been enticed by their treats, like French macaroons and garlic cheddar biscuits, which have become crowd favorites.
Now, with their new bakery on Wolfe Street, they're open on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, so you don't have to wait for the farmer's market to stock up on your faves.
"We're slightly off the beaten path, but we're friendly and we welcome people of all kinds, JMU students included."
They even make some gluten friendly goodies. Check out the French macaroons, which are made with almond flour; or some homemade truffles, or their chocolate flourless cake!
Did someone say custom cakes? Yeah — they do that, too.
"We're always working on something," says Erica.
One of their most recent creations includes the garlic cheddar biscuits — which are already a big hit — stuffed with more cheese and sausage. Yum!
Their current bakery hours are 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday, and Fridays. Or, you can catch them at the farmer's market on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
"Our baked goods are Awesome!"
You can stay up to date on their delicious creations through their Facebook, instagram page, @bittersweetbakeryva. Or, you can go check out the bakery itself, on 103 W. Wolfe Street.
Sweet treats are calling your name. What are you waiting for?