The Baker's Grove Brings Fresh, Seasonal Sweets To Shrewsbury

SHREWSBURY, NJ — Salted chocolate chunk cookies, hand-crafted croissants and cream brioche made with seasonal produce. These are a few of the offerings you'll find at The Baker's Grove, which opened recently in Shrewsbury.

"Everything is made from scratch on location daily with the freshest of ingredients," said owner Matthew Rosenzweig. "We have the chance to focus on seasonality and sourcing as many local ingredients as possible, as well as supporting other local small businesses (we carry coffee, tea, honey and jam all from local businesses)."

The corner shop is located right in front of a community garden, where some of the herbs and vegetables used for the bakery's savory items are grown, as well as edible flowers used for cake decoration.

"It's one of the big reasons I was so drawn to this space," Rosenzweig said.

Rosenzweig is the former co-owner of Flaky Tart in Atlantic Highlands, which closed its doors in 2020.

Having started out his career producing photo shoots for various magazines in New York City, he went looking for a change many years ago and found a job helping out over the holidays at the bakery kitchen at Delicious Orchards, in Colts Neck. The point was to see if that was something he would like to do.

"I enjoyed the process but wanted to look for something a little less commercial. Luckily I was able to get a job working under acclaimed pastry chef Marie Jackson at her new bakery The Flaky Tart in 2009," he said. "Worked my way up to pastry chef creating new recipes and specialty desserts and ultimately took over the business with another employee in 2015. We ran and grew the business, receiving many accolades ."

In 2020, the two decided to part ways.

"Wanting to open a place of my own where I could concentrate on what is important to me became a priority," Rosenzweig said.

He quickly joined forces with pastry chef Casey Picardo and Chris Gianfrancesco to head up the pastry and savory programs by November 2020. The bakery opened doors one year later in 2021.

"Obviously a daunting task throughout a pandemic but we remained optimistic that things would get better and, regardless, people always crave sweet treats and comfort food," said Rosenzweig.

Picardo met Rosenzweig at the Flaky Tart back in 2009, and the two remained friends while she went on to study at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. She has also worked at different locations, including in the pastry kitchen at the Four Seasons Scottsdale, in Arizona.

Her husband, Chris Gianfrancesco, is the culinary manager. He studied at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, and worked in many kitchens, including the Castle Hill Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, where he met Picardo.

"She brings a wealth of pastry knowledge and expertise to the bakery," Rosenzweig said. "He has an incredible palate and creates delicious savory offerings utilizing the best seasonal ingredients we can get."

Some savory options at The Baker's Grove include seasonal soups and puff pastry tarts. The biggest draw, however, are the chocolate cookies. Rosenzweig says they created a cult following.

"We cannot make enough to keep the shelves stocked," he said.

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