One of our favorite bakeries in St. Pete is getting ready to open a storefront in Grand Central. Baked in the Burg, which has been a wholesale star, has moved to a new location and is opening up its bakery to the public in the process.
Wholesale and specialty orders will likely still be the bakery’s bread and butter (pun intended), but in a new twist, they plan to open the bakery to the public every weekend.
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The team behind the sweet treats is still working out the logistics, but the plan for now is to be open Thursday-Saturday, allowing locals to stroll right in for delicious deep dish cookies, ice cream, and plenty more.
This actually won’t be the first public opening for Baked in the Burg, as the popular bakery had a storefront for nearly a year in the EDGE District, but the increase in wholesale orders led the team to switch to a digital-only concept. With that property then being sold, this new location in the Grand Central District gives them a chance to open their doors to hungry customers once more.
Baked in the Burg arose from unlikely places
One of St. Pete’s coolest local success stories is also one of its tastiest. Baked in the Burg started as a joint venture between Ashlea O’Connor and Maddie Blake, after the co-owners combined their two businesses into one. Maddie’s Cakes and Burg Cookie Co. were both operating out of The EDGE Collective, a food hall-esque incubator for local artisans, and after just a few weeks of working next to each other, they decided they should go for it together.
Two years later, they’re still going strong. And just as much as Baked in the Burg is a St. Pete success story, it was also a pandemic success story. While O’Connor has been baking in St. Pete for years (local dog owners will fondly recall her dog treat food truck), Blake just broke onto the scene in 2020. Just like many of us who were bored while stuck at home during the lockdown phase, Maddie decided to pick up a new hobby. But unlike those who now have cabinets full of unused sourdough starter, Maddie’s hobby actually worked out. In fact, it really worked out.
As Blake dove into baking professionally, she realized it was her undiscovered talent. And as she explored the world of baked goods, she quite naturally came across O’Connor’s business the EDGE Collective, Burg Cookie Company. After Blake showed up one day and bought one of every single cookie Ashley had available, the two made a connection.
Shortly after, O’Connor began buying Blake’s brownies wholesale, and before long she just said hey, why don’t you come set up shop with me here?
Fast forward to October 2021, and Baked in the Burg was open for business, giving both of them the space and opportunity they had been dreaming of. Coming soon, they’ll unveil their newest project together as Baked in the Burg opens its new location at 3021 Central Avenue.
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