The team behind a much-loved York café has branched out and opened a new bakery in the city.
Bar Hashery has added Micklegate to its list of locations, alongside its café near Bootham Bar and coffee kiosk at York railway station.
Partners Jolante Labutyte and Prafful Jha took over the business in April 2022.
This was a month after most Covid restrictions were lifted, but as the hospitality sector continued to feel the lasting impacts of the pandemic.
“I think we did well,” Jolante tells The Press at the new bakery.
They opened the café after Jolante returned from maternity leave, following the birth of her son, Oscar, now four, and decided the time was right for a change.
She worked in security before this and had previous experience in hospitality.
“It was always an idea to have a café,” Jolante says.
Last year, the business – operated by its 10 strong team – opened a coffee kiosk on platforms 10 and 11 at the railway station.
And on Thursday (August 15) the new bakery opened at the bottom of Micklegate, inside a unit that previously housed a pizza takeaway.
“We liked the place; we liked the location – so, we decided to go for it. And the landlord agreed to take us on board,” Jolante says.
The space has been completely transformed with the front painted black – matching the Bootham café – and a sleek new look inside, alongside a new coffee machine.
Products for the other businesses will be baked at the site, Jolante explains, with bread, sandwiches, patisseries and cakes on offer to takeaway.
'I was always baking for the family,' says Jolante
Jolante taught herself how to bake and is sharing her skills with the team.
“I was always baking for the family,” she says. “Everything we have baked are the recipes that I know.”
The team will also be undergoing further training with world class macaron-maker and chocolatier Florian Poirot at his shop in Malton.
It’s early days for the Micklegate bakery but a steady stream of customers has been coming and going already, Jolante says.
“We’re still concentrating on setting up and getting all the orders to other places – we’re taking it slowly.”
Asked what customers can expect, she replies: “A good quality slice of cake, a good customer service – a real hospitality.”
Jolante explains that she enjoys being part of York’s independent business community, hailing it as an important part of what attracts people to the city.
“I think the independents here get the flexibility to be independent,” she says. “It’s unique – that uniqueness is what sells.”
Follow Bar Hashery on Instagram to keep up with the business or visit: barhashery.co.uk
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