'3,000 square feet of scratch baking' with five ovens. Jacksonville artisan bakery relocates
Facing growing demand for its decadent desserts and chef-driven breakfast pastries and sandwiches, a popular Jacksonville bakery has relocated to become a larger, standalone restaurant.
Blueberry Artisan Bakery marked the grand opening Monday of its new location featuring an expansive kitchen and spacious cafe at 3247 Beach Blvd. in the city's historic St. Nicholas neighborhood.
The new bakery dwarfs as well as replaces its original location at Southern Grounds & Co., 1671 Atlantic Blvd. in San Marco.
"It's 3,000 square feet of scratch baking with five ovens," owner Mark Janasik told the Times-Union, noting the size of the new bakery.
As demand for its cookies, cakes, fruit tarts, brownies and other baked goods grew, the bakery simply outgrew its former Southern Grounds host location, Janasik said.
Janasik heads Jacksonville-based Restaurant & Hospitality Investment Group (RHIG), which owns Blueberry Artisan Bakery as well as Southern Grounds, which has five area restaurants including two at Jacksonville International Airport.
RHIG also owns Oaxaca Club in Jacksonville Beach and Alder & Oak slated for The HUB Brooklyn near downtown.
Janasik said they renovated the Beach Boulevard building — which dates back to 1967 — to accommodate the bakery with its growing retail, wholesale and catering programs.
In addition to its cafe, Blueberry Artisan Bakery provides fresh, made-from-scratch breads, pastries and desserts to multiple Northeast Florida restaurants.
On the menu at Blueberry Artisan Bakery
Bakery manager Stephanie Smith said they're excited to "be contributing back to the neighborhood by us being here because no bakery has been here in forever."
"We're looking at offering probably 40 items total just for this location and then we supply all the Southern Grounds locations as well," Smith said.
"It's almost like a fine dining menu. It's just extraordinary," Smith said. "We like to focus on flavors first and then focus on everything else so that customers are enjoying every bite that they take. It's just as beautiful on the outside."
Among the breakfast and lunch offerings:
Blueberry Pancakes ($10): Sour cream pancakes topped with maple sea salt whipped cream
Wild Mushroom Quiche ($11): Wild mushroom and Gruyere cheese quiche served with a field greens salad topped with a French vinaigrette
Lox Breakfast Sandwich ($14): A toasted Everything Bagel with cream cheese, Lox, red onion, tomato and capers
Poulet Au Fromage ($15): Herb roasted chicken, cheddar cheese, center-cut bacon, tomato and herb mayonnaise served with chips and buttermilk ranch dressing
Not Your Ordinary Cheeseburger ($14): Burger with pickles, shaved red onion and cheddar cheese on a brioche bun and served with field greens salad topped with French vinaigrette
The dessert case features temptations such as Lavender Pecan Pie Bars, fruit tarts, brownies, cookies, cheesecake bites, tiramisu tarts, muffins, cheddar and chive scones, cupcakes and a S'mores Cake.
Among the daily bread offerings are brioche and baguettes. Gluten-free and vegan pastry offerings are available.
Blueberry Artisan Bakery also offers organic coffees and teas.
The larger bakery will allow them to supply upcoming franchises, said Greg Delts, director of franchising for Southern Grounds.
Janasik said the company is "gearing up in 2024 for five more Southern Grounds locations" and is on the verge of signing two more franchises.
Blueberry Artisan Bakery is open from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
Teresa Stepzinski is the dining reporter for the Times-Union. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @TeresaStepz or reach her via email at [email protected].
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This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Blueberry Artisan Bakery opens in Jacksonville's St. Nicholas area
