Monday mornings are tough, but this series isn't. Social Sightings is a quick taste of recent food tidbits that goes down as easy as your first cup of coffee, and should whet your appetite for the week ahead.
Back in 2021, we declared it a "hot baked goods summer," thanks to the proliferation of new bakery businesses, many of which started as pandemic projects. Since then, the bakery scene has only gotten even hotter.
Arielle Israel and Megan Read launched Black Box Bakery in 2019 as a wholesale business but began selling direct to consumers via online ordering after COVID hit. This year, their business found a new home inside Edgewater Public Market, and they now have a viral hit on their hands: the Cube, a new take on a croissant that has proven to be so popular, the bakery has limited availability to two per person.
There's a lot of buzz about the Michelin Guide coming to Colorado, but the state's already home to a number of chefs who have worked at spots with stars, including Alen Ramos and Carolyn Nugent, the husband-and-wife team behind Parker's Poulette Bakeshop, which was our 2022 Best of Denver pick for Best Bakery. Sure, Parker might be a bit of a haul from downtown, but the bakery is churning out totally destination-worthy goods, from tarts and cake to macarons and savory sandwich specials on Wednesdays.
Chef Leah Eveleigh is the woman behind UbeCakes Bakeshop, one of the few places in town to score Hawaiian malasadas, a type of doughnut. Eveleigh also offers other specialties, like purple-hued ube pandesal, a type of Filipino bread roll that is typically eaten for breakfast. Orders can be placed via a direct message on Instagram.
Since opening in May, Wheat Ridge bakery GetRight's continues to serve up new specials all the time, and the most tempting are the savory sandwiches on freshly baked bread. Swing by for options like a croque monsieur with Black Forest ham, provolone, Dijon, pickled peppers and Béchamel on Parmesan-crusted country sourdough, or a simple ham and butter on a baguette.
For those who enjoy baking at home, local recipe developer Elana Berusch, aka @lanibakes, is a must-follow. Her desserts are simply showstopping — and even if you, like me, hate to be anywhere near measuring cups, her creations offer plenty of colorful culinary inspiration.