Last week we gushed about the massive renovations slated for Jack London Square, and mentioned the circulating rumors that Meg Ray, of Miette fame, would be opening a kitchen and bakery on the premises. Turns out that while it’s true that Meg Ray will be embarking on a new culinary project at Jack London Square, the bakery has yet to be named and, what’s more, the new space will seek to move beyond the cakes and cupcakes that made Miette so popular by bringing pies and cobblers into the mix.
This is good news for us, having just spent over 40 minutes in line for some of the much hyped cupcakes at the new Sprinkles Cupcakes in the Palo Alto Shopping Center that opened a couple of weeks ago. And yes, while these oh-so-popular LA cupcakes were darn good we couldn’t help but feel the cupcake craze is a bit done.
Now, pies on the other hand, are just heating up, and with popular pie proprietors Mission Pie on 25th and Mission and Bake Sale Betty in Oakland becoming landmarks on the pie baking landscape, we’re super excited to see what Ray will bring to the view with her yet-to-named Jack London Square extravaganza.
And while we can’t confirm a name for the new venture, we can confirm that the rumors are true. Here are the deets from an official press release:
The heart of the new location will be the state-of-the-art kitchen featuring grand 17-foot ceilings. Enormous plate-glass windows will afford visitors a behind-the-scenes view of craftspeople at work. The bakery will play host to daily operations as well as a new baking school. During the day, professional students will participate in the regular production of goods for retail sale. The course will focus on cake and pastry production, with instruction in both American and European techniques. A course on bread will be added in the coming years.
During the afternoons and evenings, the bakery will open its doors to non-professionals, with courses for both children and adults. Classes on such delectable topics as baking, decorating, marzipan rose modeling, petit fours, chocolate work, and candy making will be taught by acclaimed pastry chefs from New York, Paris, and Vienna. A “Baking Vacation” course will accommodate out of town students. That course will be taught by professionals from favorite local restaurants and bakeries such as Allison Barakat of Bake Sale Betty’s.
Wow, right? This is sounding even better than did the rumors! We’re excited for the pies and of course, we still love Ray’s gingerbread cupcakes; hopefully the rest of the Jack London Square renovation proves as promising as all of this.
Miette [Official Site]
Sprinkles Cupcakes [Official Site]
Mission Pie [Official Site]
Bake Sale Betty [Official Site]
[Photo of strawberry cupcake from Sprinkles Cupcakes (Palo Alto) via Alexis Wright]
