Dozen Bakery
From crusty baguettes and French country sourdough loaves to oatmeal sandwich breads and crackly spins of croissants; muffins chock full of berries; sweet and savory scones; decadent cream pies; butter-rich coffee cakes; fruit-filled galettes; and cookies galore, founder Claire Meneely and her team at Dozen Bakery have nourished and delighted Nashvillians for more than a decade.
Now, in their expansive new digs on Grandview Avenue, they will continue to do so, on a grander scale. In February of this year, Dozen moved from its first bricks-and-mortar home, a 2,200-square-foot space in Wedgewood-Houston, to a building five times that size in the Woodbine neighborhood that accommodates larger Hobart mixers, double the bread ovens, walk in coolers, a giant quiet freezer, separate kitchens for breads, pastries, laminations, and savories, increased indoor and outdoor seating, a larger menu of soups, sandwiches, small plates, plus an alcohol program. It’s mighty impressive for an enterprise launched in late 2009 as a holiday cookie pop-up at the Nashville Farmers Market, conceived by a Nashville native who hadn’t planned to stay.
Fiercely loyal customers (plus her happiness being close to family and friends once again) prompted Meneely to change course and put down roots. She had a clear vision for Dozen Bakery, which became valued for its commitment to using all organic ingredients, its consistently high quality of goods in both wholesale and retail sectors, its partnerships with local farmers and vendors, its respectful treatment of staff and guests, and its generous engagement with the community.
Meneely sat down with us to talk about the bakery and cafe, and what we can expect in Dozen’s new home.
Nashville Lifestyles: When did you realize that you needed to expand?
Claire Meneely: About five years ago I knew we were outgrowing our space. It took a while to find the right place for us! I must have looked at every warehouse in Nashville.
NL: So, during the pandemic, what effects did that have on your business?
CM: Covid had two big effects. It gave my team and me confidence in our abilities to solve problems: how to keep the business running and keep everyone safe. It made us better at communication. It also proved the loyalty of our customers, who supported us as we figured out different service methods — first, the 48-hour advance ordering, then the walk-up window, before we could fully reopen. We were overwhelmed by their support. We had no layoffs. When we reopened, we added the espresso service. And we took an active leap of faith to expand.
NL: Before we talk about the changes in your new space, what remains the same?
CM: Quality, integrity, and appreciation are always our values. We still use organic ingredients. Our flours are from Central Milling (in Utah) and Carolina Ground. Our breads undergo a three-day sourdough ferment. We still shape everything by hand. We make almost everything from scratch, and we bake fresh daily. And we still have our daily menu offerings, the breakfast fare, soups, salads, sandwiches, and tartines.
NL: What are some special features of the new Dozen?
CM: We are ramping up what we have always done, now that we have the room and the equipment. My staff laughs at me, as I am so excited by the acquisition of our tilt-skillet, which gives us the ability to make greater quantities of soup! We plan to offer more take-and-bake pot pies, more sandwich loaves, and have the goal of an afternoon bake, ultimately with fresh baguettes every two hours. We currently have 40 wholesale clients, and we will look to increase that after we get solid footing in our new place. Improving the customer experience is at the forefront. The space itself encourages people to hang out. We have seating for 50 inside and 50 outside. We’ll streamline service with a walk-up window for bread pick-ups. And we have more menu offerings, like the Afternoon Menu, as well as the alcohol program.
NL: What are some of the dishes offered on the Afternoon Menu?
CM: It is kind of a small plates menu, available from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. Almost like after-school snacks. We noticed that we had become a place that parents and kids would stop by after school. Some of the current favorites are meatballs in red sauce with focaccia, whipped feta with honey, chili oil and nigella seed on sourdough, caramelized cinnamon toast, and our Ploughman’s Platter.
NL: Several of those would lend themselves nicely to a glass of wine.
CM: Yes! Or one of our seasonal cocktails, a French 75, or a Boulevardier. Or a beer! We also have a good selection of non-alcoholic beverages.
NL: You have departments of breads, pastries, savories, wholesale, daily, afternoon and weekend menus, and beverages, including alcohol. Tell us about how you organize all of these aspects of Dozen.
CM: We have a very supportive and organized team! Every October, we plot out plans for the year. The Pastry team pushed themselves in R&D to change offerings every month. Bread and Savory teams have bi-monthly changes. We have a monthly rotation of specialty coffees, sodas, and alcohol. I want to stress, too, that our recipe development and testing is a collaborative effort. Our team members have personal input in the creative process.
NL: It sounds like you’ve created your dream bakery/cafe.
CM: That’s the positive slant, for sure. On the flip side, we also learned what not to do. Our architect, Gina Emmanuel of Centric, was amazing in helping us envision and design the space. The Carter Group, our longtime neighbors in Wedgewood-Houston, served as wonderful project managers. I am grateful to my staff of 57 employees. I barely get to bake anymore, and I miss it. I plan to get back to it as we get comfortable in the new space. It is our hope that this will be Dozen’s final home, baking and serving, for many years to come.