Bread Lab Baking up Business Success in Pawtucket

PAWTUCKET, RI – Opened less than four months ago, the Bread Lab, at 999 Main St. in the Hope Artiste Village complex, is branching out in several ways to spark its business growth.

Besides the range of craft breads it is named for, the Bread Lab also has a restaurant offering a wide menu with local ingredients, gourmet pizzas, a small bar, makes its own ice cream, hosts live entertainment several nights a week and boasts extensive catering services.

And they love their large, airy space in the former Hope Webbing Mill. “You can’t find this space in downtown Providence, you can’t find it,” Deana Martin, who owns the Bread Lab with her husband Keith, told Mayor Donald Grebien and members of his economic development team with representatives of the Northern R.I. Chamber of Commerce and the Pawtucket Foundation who visited the new business on Monday, July 21 as part of Grebien’s ongoing personal outreach to local businesses.

“You come in here, you feel like it’s your grandmother’s kitchen,” Martin described the Bread Lab’s atmosphere. “Good food, good value – that’s where our focus is. And bring your kids,” she smiled. “You get the sandwiches and salads from us, they’re made by chefs. It’s attention to detail.”

Martin told Grebien that the center of her business plan for economic growth is “focused on catering.” Her husband Keith noted the venue also hosts live music by talented performers several nights a week, typically of the easier-listening variety that most diners prefer, as well as a trivia night on Wednesday. Upcoming plans include weekend brunch to coincide with the return of the highly successful Winter Farmers Market at Hope Artiste.

The Bread Lab’s large space where diners can look beyond the counter to see foods being made is part of a trend Martin said she was not initially aware of but now finds catching on elsewhere. “Europe, Los Angeles – where bakeries bring out their operations in the open,” she related.

For more on the Bread Lab including its extensive menu, go to www.thebreadlab.net.

Baking up success: Talking business over croissants and coffee at the Bread Lab, 999 Main St., on Monday, July 21 were (from left) Jennifer Moyer, social sales director, Paul Ouellette, Northern R.I. Chamber of Commerce senior vice president, Jess Powers, corporate catering sales, co-owner Deana Martin, Mayor Donald R. Grebien, Susan Mara, city assistant planning director, Christine Sullivan, Pawtucket Foundation development director, city arts and culture official Herb Weiss, city Planning Director Barney Heath and Gail Ahlers of Ahlers Designs.

Bread Lab co-owner Deana Martin gestures to make a point to (from left) Paul Ouellette, Northern R.I. Chamber of Commerce senior vice president, corporate catering sales director Jess Powers and Mayor Donald R. Grebien during their visit to the new business on Monday, July 21.

Brown University students Ivy Sokol and Jared Rothenberg tap into the ice coffee and Wi-Fi at the Bread Lab, 999 Main St., as they collaborate on a project.

Bartender Candace Jenkins (left) and manager Mindy Bennivedes pose in front of the giant Bread Lab sign.

Pastry chef Rhiannon McDaniel with some of her confectionery creations.

Executive chef Allen Forte displays a three-pepper balsamic glaze pizza at the Bread Lab, 999 Main St. in Pawtucket’s Hope Artiste Village.

Leave a comment