Few things are more satisfying to the soul than made-from-scratch baked goods. From perfectly proofed cinnamon rolls to luxurious cakes decorated with love, Baked on 8th and Brightside Bakeshop both offer a variety of tasty treats to answer the call.
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Baked on 8th
Leah and Adam Carmean, the couple behind Baked on 8th, met while working at a large-scale bakery, back in 2008. Their careers would take them in different directions, but nearly a decade later, they both lost their jobs within the same week. With more than 20 years of combined bakery experience between them, plus Leah’s entrepreneurship degree from Belmont, and Adam’s culinary background, the couple decided it was time to realize their dream of opening a bakery.
They found an affordable spot on a less-developed section of 8th Avenue South (although new homes and development are now springing up all around it).
“It had brand new bathrooms, but was otherwise a concrete box,” Adam explains.
The building is now easy to spot with its cheerful “life can be sweet mural” painted on the exterior wall. The light-filled interior, finished with crisp tiles and a pop of green and pink floral wallpaper, provides the perfect backdrop for a counter brimming with nostalgic treats: cookies, brownies, bars, muffins, pies, and cakes—the menu changes daily.
“People love our cookies: chocolate chip, oatmeal cream pies, iced sugar; all of them,” Adam says. “But we sell more cake than anything. It’s surprising how many people in Nashville need cake! We've only been open for seven months and we can barely keep up.”
Open daily, 1512 8th Ave S, 615-933-1100; bakedon8th.com
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Brightside Bakeshop
Andrea Borchers was working in marketing for large retail corporations when she first started selling her pastries on weekends at the Richland Park Farmers Market, in 2016. She also traveled to take classes at Le Cordon Bleu Paris and San Francisco Baking Institute during that time. Exactly one year after setting up at the market, she took the leap to make Brightside Bakeshop her full-time career.
When searching for a permanent home for her bakery, The Shops at Porter East lined up with her vision for a neighborhood and community driven shop.
“There’s something motivating and inspiring about surrounding yourself with other small businesses you believe in and support,” she says.
Brightside focuses on artisan pastries, specifically brioche and croissants.
“We always offer our signature items—cinnarolls, savory brioche, croissants, sunshine rolls—and have rotating seasonal items, croissant rolls, and croissant tarts weekly,” she says. “Our cinnarolls are definitely our best seller and have become our signature. They’re made with our 24-hour raised brioche and topped with vanilla glaze and cream cheese frosting.”
For now, the shop is only open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays, allowing them to focus on large catering orders, wholesale orders, and special orders for individuals. (They just request three days notice on all special orders.)
“As we get more space in our shared commercial kitchen and more team members, we will expand to more days,” she says. “Once we are settled into our full-scale bakery [planned location to open in 2019 on the West side], we plan to have the same hours at both locations.”
Open Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 713 Porter Rd, 615-815-4064; brightsidebakeshop.com