Hazel Artisan Bakery Café

Winter 2007

    

     An artisan is a craftsperson trained and skilled in an applied art.  To Jim Ferrero and Lonnie Ball, owners of Hazel Artisan Bakery Café, the word “artisan” means beautiful breads and pastries crafted by hand from scratch with love, using all natural ingredients.

     The new bakery and café, which opened last fall, offers a wide selection of European-style and American breads, from perfect French baguettes to loaves of homey oatmeal raisin bread, as well as a gorgeous selection of pastries, including chocolate walnut tartlets, a raspberry linzertorte, a wide variety of cookies, biscotti, and mocha java brownies.

     If you are adventurous, there is an orange tequila flan or a Viennese Sachertorte (layers of rich chocolate cake filled with jam and enrobed in a creamy chocolate glaze), or you can enjoy an old-fashioned apple turnover, a tender cinnamon roll, or a moist cranberry orange muffin. 

     In addition to their regular selection of breads there is rye bread on Tuesdays, challah on Fridays, and five-grain bread and Normandy apple bread on Saturdays.  When I asked Jim and Lonnie what they ate at the bakery, they said a piece of Brie on some French bread or a thick slice of that Normandy apple bread.  Based on the numerous loaves I’ve brought home, I think their bread is the best around.

     And then there’s lunch.  Oh my.  Consider a sandwich of ham and gruyere cheese with stone ground mustard on French bread or roast beef, Monterey jack cheese, thin-sliced red onion, and horseradish aioli on a sourdough roll, accompanied by a warm cup of homemade Italian wedding soup or butternut squash soup.  Don’t forget to save room for dessert.

     You can find Hazel Artisan Bakery Café at 1176 South Main Street in North Canton.