Photograph courtesy Blue Oven Bakery
When Will Vollmer and John Jarnigo purchased Blue Oven Bakery a few years ago, they were committed to continuing plans for a new production facility.
“We were maxed out on what we could produce from our location inside Findlay Kitchen,” Vollmer says. “In order to better meet the needs of our customers and provide growth opportunities for our amazing team, we knew we had to expand our footprint.”
This week, the Over-the-Rhine favorite is officially opening a new production space at 1808 Elm Street. The bakery is hosting a grand opening event at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 1, at Findlay Market, which will include a ribbon cutting ceremony, live music, and complimentary pretzel bites available for first 50 guests.
“It was a long journey, with all of the challenges of dealing with an older structure on top of the requirements of putting a commercial bakery inside,” Vollmer recalls. “We are thrilled to finally settle in and fire up the ovens.”
Photograph courtesy Blue Oven Bakery
After a fire destroyed their production facility in Williamsburg in 2020, Blue Oven’s original owners Mark and Sara Frommeyer joined the Findlay Kitchen incubator space and began making most of the bakery’s products from there. In 2022, the couple announced plans to rehabilitate the property at 1808 Elm Street, thus beginning a long process with the city’s Historic Conservation Board, which oversees the “conservation of historically or architecturally significant structures, sites or districts” throughout the city. They sold the bakery to Vollmer and Jarnigo in April 2023. They moved most of the production into the finished space earlier this month and started baking operations there a couple of weeks ago.
The increased space will eventually allow Blue Oven to expand its menu, but right now, the owners are focused on baking more for its Findlay Market stall and providing an easier point of pickup for its wholesale and restaurant customers.
Vollmer and Jarnigo want to open the ground floor space to our Findlay Market shoppers at some point in the future, with the possibility of offering grab-and-go beverages, sandwiches and other additions to the existing menu. But the Findlay Market stall will continue to be its primary retail space.
Photograph courtesy Blue Oven Bakery
“For the Findlay Market shopper, nothing really changes,” Vollmer notes. “It was never in any doubt that we would remain anchored at Findlay Market. We will continue to offer our famous English muffins, pretzels, scones, and fresh breads along with smiles and laughter, from the Findlay stall that has been our home for years.”
To show appreciation to its customers, Blue Oven is giving away five $100 gift certificates to the Findlay Market Shopping App. Participants can enter by signing up for Blue Oven’s email newsletter, following @findlaymarket and @blueovenbakery on Instagram. The giveaway is open now until Monday, May 4.
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