SHARON — Local French pastry buffs do not mind a bit that the lines are sometimes long at the Blue Gate Farm Bakery in Sharon. After a few years of offering baked goods at a variety of area farmers’ markets, the bakery settled down and opened for business nearly a year ago.
Located on the Sharon side of the Housatonic River where Routes 7 and 4 meet, the bake shop is the work of pastry chef Bruce Young, along with his wife, Yobana, both owners of Blue Gate Farm in Warren. They paused for an interview on Thursday, March 21, after a busy day of preparation for Friday’s sales.
“We’re a small community in Warren,” said Bruce Young, who recalled the beginnings in 2020 at a farmers’ market behind the Warren General Store, later adding a similar farmers’ market in Washington Depot, and then others. Young grew up in Warren and he and Yobana still live there in his boyhood home that had been built by his father.
A Washington Montessori schoolteacher during the week, Yobana welcomes customers at the bakery on weekends. She also handles the bakery’s business details.
Transition from farmers’ markets to retail location came suddenly, according to Young, who recalled the day that he pulled into the gas station and convenience store that stands along Route 4 on the Sharon side of the river just west of Cornwall Bridge.
“I stopped for gas and ran into Liz Macaire, a long-time acquaintance,” he said. She pointed to the building across the road and recommended that he look at it. He remembered that she insisted that he needed to open his bakery there “immediately,” so 48 hours later, he was open for business.
“We haven’t had a slow day since we opened,” Young reported, pleased that the line of customers extends out the door, and that people are sometimes waiting in line before the bakery opens in the morning.
Baked goods are all baked on site. Breads include traditional, European, and the baguettes are done to French weight and size standards. Sourdough is naturally fermented. Multigrain and variations seasonally rotated.
Croissants are made on site. “I start with a scoop of flour, water and yeast, and very expensive French butter,” Young said. The French butter works the best for laminating pastry.
Hard rolls are made fresh every morning, Young said. “I cut and weigh and shape every one of them, about 85 each day.
“I’m pretty fast,” he added.
Young said that he arrives at the bakery each day at 3 a.m., working six days a week. The schedule is necessary in order to fill the bakery shelves with the variety that is sold on the busy weekends.
Area towns have their own designated rolls. “We always have a local roll,” he said. The Cornwall roll is topped with a pistachio ganache, for example.
On a Saturday, Young expects there to be seven types of breads available, and always baguettes. Blue Gate bakes varieties of tarts, and regional French specialty items, including short-crust pastry with black cherries, walnuts, or red plums as a few examples.
Delicate barquettes, shaped like small boats, are filled with lemon curd or fresh fruit as some of the choices. French caneles, local to the Bordeaux region, are a frequent feature.
“We have an astonishing variety,” Young said. “We do what we do best.”
The coffee comes from Sacred Grounds in Sherman. Choices include latte, cappuccino, or espresso. Hot chocolate is made with Lindt chocolate truffles topped with handmade marshmallows.
There is no indoor seating, but customers are welcome to find a spot outdoors to enjoy their purchases. Many summer season patrons walk over from the Housatonic Meadows campgrounds for warm pastries and coffee in the mornings, or some prefer the fresh breakfast sandwiches.
“I’ve been cooking since I was 14,” Young said. He lived in England for nine years working for a French chef whose father was a baker from whom he learned much. He noted that he has been largely self-taught and is always learning.
An unusual companion to a bakery operation, a design and décor note is added by Ivy’s Collective, stylishly occupying the other half of the building’s interior. In high spirits from having acquired pastry before the bakery sells out, visitors can shift gears and view an array of antiques and collectibles. Prices from a few dollars to higher. Ivy’s is owned by former New Yorkers, Ivy and Daniel Kramp, and managed by Liz Macaire, merging talents to create an ever-changing display in an unrushed country environment.
Both the Blue Gate Bakery and Ivy’s Collective are open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. (the bakery closes earlier if things sell out).
Photo contributed
Sample baked goods offered by the Blue Gate Farm Bakery in Sharon. The rolls with the pistachio ganache (green) topping are called “Cornwall rolls.”
Stan MacMillan, who has retired as Sharon’s building inspector and fire marshal, receives a General Assembly citation from State Rep. Maria Horn at a party Thursday, July 2.
The party was hosted by Eve LaRoche and her husband, Ryan Kavanaugh. In her brief address, LaRoche spoke of “the immeasurable impact they both have had on all our lives.”
MacMillan was the building inspector and fire marshal for Sharon, as well as fire marshal for several other towns during his long tenure. Casey held a long list of positions, including secretary to the Inland Wetlands Commission, assistant town clerk, secretary to MacMillan, health department sanitarian and, most recently, land use administrator.
In addition, both have been very active volunteers in the Sharon Fire Department and ambulance service.
First Selectman Casey Flanagan told the guests they were there to recognize the legacy the pair was leaving behind and show appreciation and admiration for what they’ve done. “Over the years they have protected the town and its character so that it’s grown in a responsible way. They have kept the Sharon we all love.”
Flanagan went on to say that the two have given him a lot over the years, “helping shape me into the selectman I am today. I hope to carry those traits and skills throughout my career.”
He noted that while they were all gathered to celebrate their careers, the town is also looking to the future, eager to build on the strong foundation the two created, calling out William Pietrefase, who is replacing MacMillan, and Nikki Blass, who is taking over for Casey.
Jamie Casey, left, who was honored upon her retirement as Sharon’s land use administrator at a party Thursday, shares a light moment with Michelle Hansen of Falls Village.Ruth Epstein
The occasion brought out nostalgia for some in attendance. Robert Anderson, a contractor, praised them both, speaking of how they treated everyone with fairness and respect. Then he recounted how he’s known MacMillan since they were 5-years-old and how their mothers were good friends.
Judi Gobillot Soule of Kent also had strong memories of her mother, MacMillan’s mother, and several other women who were all best friends while raising their families.
“Going back 65 years, I can still remember those women, including my mother, Eleanor Gobillot, Lil MacMillan, Dolly Paley, Mary Anderson and Betty Freudenberg and all the kids. We had picnics and did a lot together. I remember the cinnamon candy they made.”
State Rep. Maria Horn, D-Salisbury, presented them both with citations from the General Assembly and Selectman Lynn Kearcher read two comments of appreciation for them from artist Jasper Johns.
In his comments, MacMillan thanked the townspeople for their support and noted all the good people he’s met over the years. Casey paid tribute to all her family and ended with “I love this town.”
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