'Home Of The Bread Boss': Husband, Wife Team Bring Sourdough Bakery To Basking Ridge

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — With a passion for baking and health, husband and wife duo Sam and Christine Tubito began dabbling in making sourdough bread at their home during the pandemic.

This has since transformed into the Crust & Crumb, where the Tubitos bring artisan breads and pastries to life through their passion for the art of baking.

As a licensed cottage bakery through the state of New Jersey, they are able to continue to bake from their home bakery and provide customers with pick-up locations (which they call “pop-up spots”) or delivery options in Basking Ridge.

Baking has always been in Sam Tubito's blood. He was born into a family of bread makers and artisans who migrated from Italy. He began his journey at the renowned Altamura Bakery of Bayonne. Starting at the age of 14, it wasn’t long before his dedication and craft earned him the name "Bread Boss."

Sam Tubito's cousin is known as the "Cake Boss," who is well-known through the Food Network television show and bakeries.

A fallout in the family led Sam Tubito to walk away from the family business. It wasn't until his wife Christine Tubito, who was a health coach, began to get him to come back to baking.

"I knew the health benefits of sourdough, of what it does to the gut and what it does to the microbiome of your gut," said Christine Tubito.

According to the Mayo Clinic, "sourdough fermentation creates probiotics, or healthy bacteria, that can aid in digestion."

Putting their two passions together, the couple decided to take a breadmaking class in New York, where they both earned their certification licenses.

"When the pandemic hit, we found a bread oven for our home, because at that point, we were all homebound," said Christine Tubito. "Sam would say, ' You are like a little Betty Crocker'."

Eventually, through word of mouth, the couple began selling bread to members of their church and things blew up from there.

"I never dreamed it was going to come to this," said Christine Tubito.

The pair then teamed up with a farm in Marksboro called River Valley Community Grains to get their wheat and grains.

"We just started purchasing everything from him because we wanted it to be the best and the freshest for the community," said Christine Tubito.

Crust & Crumb offers a wide variety of breads and pastries, including sourdough pretzels, sourdough brownies, sourdough cookies, and sourdough pastries.

"We do everything with the sourdough, "said Christine Tubito.

Additionally, they offer items for those with gluten sensitivities or without white flour, including Danish Rye. It takes three days to make and uses pumpkin seeds, millet, and a homemade porridge.

Customers can visit the Crust & Crumb website to view the menu, place an order between Wednesday and Friday, and then pick up their baked goods on Saturday afternoon.

Pick-up is offered at 20 Church Street, Basking Ridge, on Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m. Local deliveries are also available in Basking Ridge and Bernardsville.

For more information, visit crustandcrumbnj.com or instagram.com/crustcrumbnj.

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