Root Baking Co., the recently opened bakery and cafe at Ponce City Market, announced its dinner menu from Chef Matt Palmerlee as well as weekday grab & go lunch sandwiches and upcoming baking classes. Formerly located in Charleston, South Carolina, Root Baking Co. was founded in 2015 by husband-and-wife duo Chris Wilkins and Nicole Lewis-Wilkins, and opened at Ponce City Market in September 2018.
Previously serving an all-day menu, the bakery and cafe now offers a separate dinner menu along with breakfast, lunch and beloved freshly baked breads and pastries. Offered Monday through Saturday beginning at 4pm, the dinner menu features a tight selection of appetizers, soup, salad and entrees. The cafe will continue to expand its dinner offerings over the next few months, and dishes will rotate regularly. With a commitment to quality, Root Baking Co. sources ingredients from farmers markets and local farmers, including Woodland Gardens Organics and Bartram Trail Farm. Highlights on the dinner menu include a cheese plate featuring Woodsman and Wife Jersey Girl Cheese with housemade persimmon jam, curry spiced walnuts and daily made bread; Za’atar Roasted Chicken Thigh with chickpea stew, rice, pickled turmeric and walnut salsa; and Mussels & Clams with charred green tomato + clam broth, sunchoke chips, pickled habanada peppers, bronze fennel and housemade rye bread.
At lunch, guests can order from the daily menu served until 3pm Monday through Saturday, or opt to grab a sandwich to go during the week. Current grab & go sandwiches include Blackstrap Molasses Ham with comté, dill pickles, mustard greens, dijon and mayo on filone bread, and Za’atar Roasted Broccoli with tahini tarator, harissa and pickled carrots on filone bread. On Sundays, the daily menu is served all day alongside croissant breakfast sandwiches.
Beginning in January, the team at Root Baking Co. will lead three-hour Bread 101 classes for beginner bakers. Participants will learn how to create a lively starter from scratch, how to mix, ferment, shape and bake a loaf, and how to best utilize a home oven to produce crusty delicious results. With additional classes to come for beginner and advanced bakers, Bread 101 classes cost $75 per person and will be held on January 9 and 23 from 6-9pm. For more, visit the bakery and cafe’s website here.
Root Baking Co. is on the second floor of Ponce City Market next to The Mercury. The design of the bakery highlights the building’s historic and industrial aesthetic, featuring a handmade mill and glass windows for visitors to watch the milling, fermenting, shaping and baking process.