Farmer x Baker expands with 2nd location in O'Hara for takeout
A new takeout eatery has opened in O’Hara.
Farmer x Baker opened its second location Friday, welcoming a steady stream of customers right away when the doors opened at 8 a.m.
“We’re looking forward to serving our community locally sourced, healthy and delicious foods all year round,” owner Jennifer Urich said.
Farmer x Baker’s flagship location is inside Aspinwall RiverTrail Park. Housed in a recycled shipping container, the Aspinwall venue remains open.
Earlier this year, Urich purchased the O’Hara building at 1101 Powers Run Road, a longtime retail venue that most recently was the site of CJ’s Kitchen. The second location also serves as a production facility and headquarters for operations.
While the Aspinwall spot has space for sit-down dining, the O’Hara location offers takeout only. A delivery service will launch later in the fall.
The grab-n-go specialty foods include baked goods, hot foods, desserts, eggs, salads and more.
Everything at Farmer x Baker is locally sourced, organic and made with non-GMO ingredients by a staff of 20.
“It’s the best bagel ever,” Olivia Bergman, 10, of O’Hara said of her breakfast bagel before heading off to school Friday.
Bergman’s mom, Kelly Kelley, said she’s happy to have a market-style place open again.
“We can walk here; we’re the lucky ones. I used to come to this market when I was a little girl,” Kelley said.
Kelley said she suffers from “extreme” lactose intolerance and loves the gluten-free options at Farmer x Baker. “They somehow make the gluten and vegan options taste great. I had the vegan cream cheese.”
A handwritten chalkboard menu features daily specials. Specialty homemade organic bagels are the big draw. Bagels are sold by the half-dozen ($15) or individually ($3) in five varieties: plain, sesame, herb and salt, gluten-free and everything. Custom cream cheese “schmearz” ($2) include plain, pimento, whitefish, almond ricotta, vegan and farm party.
Employees bake more than 600 bagels weekly to meet demand.
Urich said the new location will offer a larger pastry program, a larger offering of prepared meals and an organic bread program.
“We have more space for production,” Urich said. “We now have the space to be creative, produce more goods for catering and events, and really utilize my staff’s capabilities for custom work.”
Urich has partnered with local organic farms such as Goat Rodeo Farm, Be Wilder Farm, Freedom Farms, Santa Farms Meats and Tiny Seed Farm. She is a farmer herself, operating Root and Heart Farm in West Deer.
A self-professed “lifelong baker,” Urich originally is from Michigan. She opened Farmer x Baker in the summer of 2019.
For now, only credit/debit cards are accepted as payment at the new location.
Hours of operation at the O’Hara location are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays. The Aspinwall site is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays; dinner hours will resume in the spring.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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