Bread Basket Bakery Manager Opening A New Café

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The seeds of a new café, set to open on Weibel Avenue next month, were planted more than 20 years ago in Saratoga Springs and has given rise to a longtime tradition. Now, Bread Basket Bakery Operations Manager Matthew Tallman hopes a new business he is preparing that will launch next month continues the tradition of success. Tallman and business partner George Kotsakis - whose expertise is in restaurant management and consulting - will open the Bread Basket Cafe at The Springs in early October. The 1,800-square-foot eatery will seat 48 people inside, feature a mini-conference area where a party of six to eight may gather together for meals, and include an additional 1,200-square-foot patio outdoors. They owners say the location - far enough from the bustle of downtown and featuring plenty of parking - is ideal, and just the site for which they have waited. “George and I have been talking about this for years. We made the decision to run with it,” said Tallman, whose mother, Joan Tallman, founded the Bread Basket Bakery out of a home kitchen in the 1980s. She moved the bakery into a storefront on Ludlow Street a quarter century ago, then relocated to an English cottage on Spring Street where fresh breads, pies, and an assortment of pastries have been served since. “My mom started the bakery in 1990. Twelve years ago my brother and I moved home to join the business with her,” Tallman said. “My brother does the baking and I do the rest.” The Bread Basket name will be carried forward with the new café, although it is a separate entity. The café menu will list omelets and pancakes among the breakfast items, salads, wraps and sandwiches for the lunch and dinner crowd, as well as a full array of muffins, scones, breads, desserts and a variety of coffees. “You’ll be able to get good food here, and your bill won’t be more than $10 to $15,” Tallman said. “He has the baking background, I have the European style coffee business experience and we put it all together,” said Kotsakis, whose Mediterranean background played a role in inserting menu items such as falafel, and spanakopita. In the main entry room currently under construction, Kotsakis envisions a barrista stationed at the forefront, serving espresso and cappuccino, Turkish coffees, Greek coffees, frappe, protein shakes, and other drinks. “Coffee brings people together” explained Kotsakis, standing in the room framed by a chocolate ceiling, green tea walls, and orange-tinged fans. A vacant spot on a nearby wall is reserved for a classic image depicting Sophia Loren and Cary Grant drinking coffee in a cafe. The owners plan on hiring up to six employees and will be open seven days per week. They are still finalizing the hours, but anticipate being open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.