Jen McDonald
An indie gem in the heart of downtown, D’Andrews Bakery and Café showcases the sweet and savory talents of its founder, chef David Andrews.
When you first step inside the sunny Church Street locale, you’ll be immersed in the aromas of sugar, chocolate, butter, and spice. There’s an artful display of croissants, hand-painted macarons, berry-studded éclairs, brioche fruit tarts, and petite layer cakes. Behind the counter, the staff bustles: assembling sandwiches on the house-made focaccia, composing custom salads, and ladling up bowls of freshly made soup.
Since opening in July 2018, the bakery/café has become a go-to for downtowners who relish its fresh breakfast, lunch, and mid-afternoon offerings. Whether it’s a pistachio-and-cherry jam croissant, an egg sandwich stacked with braised short rib and pickled carrots, or an arugula salad dressed in a gingery Green Goddess, what shines through is the quality of ingredients, and Andrews’ finesse in manipulating them.
A native Nashvillian, Andrews comes by his entrepreneurial spirit naturally. He cut his teeth at McClure’s, his family’s specialty department store that was part of the city’s retail landscape for 80 years. When McClure’s closed in 2002, it left him not only sad, but at a crossroads. What next? He’d always loved desserts. On a leap of faith, he moved to Manhattan and enrolled in the Institute of Culinary Education.
Jen McDonald
“I was clear then I wanted to open a bakery,” Andrews recalls. “One instructor told our group of 20 students that only two of us would achieve that. I knew I would be one of them.”
Over 13 years, he gained invaluable experience, interning and then becoming pastry chef for the iconic Gotham Bar and Grill and later taking the helm as executive chef of the Kimberly Hotel. The former gave him the platform to hone his pastry-making skills. The latter allowed him to stretch himself in the savory side of cooking and taught him how to run a large kitchen and supervise a staff.
“Those years in New York were necessary—critical really—in giving me what I needed to open my own business. I love Nashville and wanted to bring something good and different here,” he says, “a modern bakery with New York panache and Southern hospitality.” He adds, “There’s a bittersweet side too. I wanted the McClure’s story to have a better ending. D’Andrews does that.”
Jen McDonald
With his café and catering business growing strong, Andrews has turned his attention to other facets. Saturdays are devoted to hands-on cooking classes in his commercial kitchen, where you can learn the art of making brioche, pie doughs, macarons, and croissants. (Check the website for the schedule.)
Once a month—on a Friday evening—he transforms the café into “D’Andrews After Dark,” an intimate, multi-coursed seated dinner for 18 to 20 attendees. He treats guests to the likes of rabbit leg confit in pappardelle with crispy shallots, seared scallops with sweet corn custard, and the rich and timeless Gotham chocolate cake. For January’s gathering, he’s planning on courses that highlight flavorful, smart cuts. Valentine’s Day falls on a Friday, so his February After Dark will be a “couples edition,” complete with champagne macarons and molded chocolates.
Andrews is grateful for role models in his field who inspire him constantly to grow. Foremost, he admires Joanne Chang of Flour in Boston.
“Dominique Ansel is a close second,” he says. “Whatever you get at his shop is magnificent and consistent.”
And he considers Greg Mindel of Neighbor Bakehouse in San Francisco the best baker in the country.
“Those three comprise my Mount Rushmore,” he says with a broad smile. “I’ll aspire to be the fourth!”
D’Andrews Bakery and Café, 555 Church St., 615-375-4934; dandrewsbakery.com