Crumb Brothers reopens, customers can expect original and new options
Crumb Brothers Artisan Bread bakery reopened Sept. 19 in Logan, Utah after being closed for about six months. The bakery has new owners, but a lot of the same employees and recipes.
“The new owners contacted me a few months before they opened to see if I was interested in coming back,” said Robert Sanderson, a Utah State University business graduate and general manager and chef at Crumb Brothers. “It was really important for the owners that they had some returning staff members, just because in the purchasing they got the name and the recipes so they wanted to have that same staff help with the transitioning.”
Eateries like Crumb Brothers, the Crepery and Caffe Ibis attract a lot of USU students because of the food and atmosphere.
“The food and the coffee here are really great. It is Caffe Ibis coffee, and I like doing homework here because of the atmosphere,” said Beth Shirley, a USU PhD student in the English department. “Sometimes I meet friends here, and we have a knitting group on Sundays. We meet and sit outside in the outside area and knit and hang out.”
The reopening of Crumb Brothers also provided job opportunities for USU students. The bakery targeted students looking for jobs by using Career Aggies to post available positions.
“When I was little, I always wanted to be a baker and work in a bakery, and so when I saw they were hiring I thought this would be perfect to knock off my bucket list,” said Grace McClelland, an employee at Crumb Brothers and a sophomore at USU. “I like the people that I work with. It is a fun community, and we all joke around with each other, and everyone is really helpful so I never feel lost.”
The reopening has also brought new items to the menu and other different features to the bakery. There is a new display case with grab-and-go salads, more seating and new hours.
“We have only been open for two weeks, so we are still trying to figure things out. We brought back everything that worked before as well as added new things that are popular,” said Luba Otrusinik, one of the new owners of Crumb Brothers. “We extended hours Wednesday through Saturday and opened for brunch on Sundays. The old hours were from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the new hours are from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. so that after work, people can stop by and grab bread on the way home or soup to go.”
The bakery has also lifted the limitations on the pastry chef and head baker, allowing them to make a lot more food and be a lot more creative and flexible with the menu.
“I always loved doing things with my hands and creating things, whether it is crafting or baking, and I take pride in what I do,” said Samantha Powell, head pastry chef at Crumb Brothers and USU graduate. “I received a job at Crumb Brothers before I graduated USU and have been working here for six years. I started doing pastries, and after I graduated I started working here a little more, hour-wise, and I just love it.”
Most of the ingredients the bakery uses are locally sourced. The bakery bakes organic bread from Central Milling and uses local fruits, eggs and other dairy items, which cost more for customers.
“The prices are a little steep, but when you consider that it is local, it is artisan, it is not just mass-produced and the workers are taken care of — that is why it costs more. I think it is worth it to pay a little more,” Shirley said.
For pictures of Crumb Brothers after reopening, visit: usustatesman.com/gallery/crumb-brothers-reopens
— jillian.mccarthy@aggiemail.usu.edu