Welcome to the first episode of our new series, “Neighborhood News”. I have been doing some great video interviews throughout Cranford, Westfield and other areas of New Jersey to introduce you the great people who live and do business here. If you have a local business or interesting community topic you would like to see as a new episode, please let me know! ~Sharon

The owners of Breadsmith, Kathy Vastola and Paul Cavanaugh are  a husband and wife team who spent many years as biochemists. They realized their dream of owning their own business by purchasing New Jersey’s first Breadsmith franchise in 2007. There are more than 30 nationwide. The shop, which is more like a small town bakery than a franchise store, offers more than 20 product varieties daily. Kathy has recipes for more than 200. Each day she and her staff prepare the staples, such as French Peasant loaf, Country White, etc. They also craft specialty breads that are more like a delicious dessert than a bread. My personal favorites are the chocolate chip pumpkin loaf and the apple pie loaf. Don’t forget the Cinnamon claws!

All of the artisan breads are made fresh.

“Breadsmith specializes in handcrafted artisan breads made fresh from scratch using the highest quality ingredients with no additives or preservatives. Our dough is never frozen and our breads are baked in six-ton, stone-hearth ovens imported from Europe. We also make specialty breads and a wide range of cookies, muffins and sweets.”

If you hurry, you can even purchase a giant loaf of bread in the shape of a turkey for Thanksgiving!

The Breadsmith also will prepare trays of desserts breads artfully arranged for your parties and gatherings. I personally purchase these trays for my Open Houses. People LOVE the breads, and I enjoy sharing these yummy treats!

One of my favorite things about the store is that at the end of each day, whatever is left from the more than 200 products baked each day are picked up by a local charity and delivered to the needy. As Kathy says, “there is a great amount of satisfaction in knowing that people and need are able to enjoy our hearty, delicious and nutritious breads”.

Stop in and visit Breadsmith of Cranford New Jersey and enjoy the tastes and smells of this wonderful shop! Let them know you heard about it here!

The Breadsmith is located at 32 North Ave  908-276-2155

Hours: Tue-Fri: 7am-7pm, Sat: 7am-5pm, Sun: 7am-4pm, Mon: Closed

Stay tuned for our next “Neighborhood News” episode, coming very soon!