Bethany Zito, owner of the soon-to-be B’s Bake Shoppe at the Dahlia, had hoped to be open this month.
But she ran into some of the typical delays likely to hit any new restaurant owner: permits, paperwork, a global pandemic that has brought unprecedented changes to the daily lives of virtually every American.
You know. The usual stuff.
But construction is now well underway at B’s future home, located next to Canby Gift & Toys, and Zito hopes to be open within the next couple months.
“I’ve been plugging along,” she says, with her trademark positivity. “We’re hoping for mid- to late June right now, just as long as there aren’t any more hiccups or, you know, pandemics.”
She may not yet have a shop where people can come in, order delicious things and hang out for a while, but hey — that’s kind of the norm these days. Like most of us, Zito has been working from home, perfecting recipes, baking goods for customers and doing pick-up at set times in both Canby and her home town of Hubbard.
Zito has been developing her own line of gourmet candy bars and other confections. She offers biscotti, almond florentines and, of course, chocolate chunk cookies. She’s gained something of a reputation for her to-die-for soft pretzels.
From time to time, she even dabbles in ice cream. But her specialty is breads: sourdough, focaccia, ciabatti, hoagie rolls and sandwich loafs.
“Right now, you know, it’s those comforts that people really want,” she explained. “Those things that make you feel good. And a fresh loaf of bread does that for me, at least.”
B’s Bake Shoppe is the culmination of a dream Zito has harbored ever since she started in the industry over 15 years ago. She first went into business for herself doing weekends at the Hubbard Farmers Market, where she found fresh-baked, scratch breads and pastries were in demand in the south Portland metro area.
Wholesale will also be a big part of her business, as she looks to supply local restaurants (when they can open again), stores and other outlets with fresh goods baked right here in town.
The Shoppe will have an open kitchen concept with communal and counter seating. They’ll have grab-and-go sales, and serve drip coffee for those who’d rather dine in and linger.
“It will be a nice, comfy place,” she told the Canby Now Podcast last November. “I’m going to play around with the honeybee theme a little bit, with some yellows and browns.”
Her logo and brand were developed with the help of the Canby Now Podcast team through Now Hear This Studios, our local, full-service graphic design and audio and video production company.
To connect with Zito now and try some of her specialty baked goods, visit her Facebook page. Orders or other inquiries may be made by email at bzbakeshoppe@gmail.com. Pickup will be available for one more Saturday, on May 2.
After that, find her at the Canby Farmers Market until B’s Bake Shoppe opens for real at the Dahlia building.