Blue Scorcher Bakery & Cafe

Specialties

Blue Scorcher Bakery & Café is a warm and inviting place to enjoy a hearty and healthy breakfast, lunch or tea. Our seasonal menu changes as local produce varies throughout the year. Our delicious soups, salads and sandwiches are inspired by the cuisines of the world and crafted from the best local, organic ingredients. We create our artisan bread and pastries from scratch every morning. All of our coffee, espresso and tea — as well as our homemade 12 spice chai are organic — including the milk and cream! Our menu always includes vegan items and items made with gluten-​free ingredients.

Free wifi, and a great selection of magazines for purchase — including the Sunday New York TImes — help you keep in touch with the greater world from within the comfort of our friendly dining room. Our children’s corner features a play kitchen, sofa, and plenty of children’s books to help our littlest customers feel right at home.

History

Established in 2004.

We began baking in 2004 when Astoria’s former organic artisan bakery closed — this was our place, and we couldn’t bear to live here without great bread. Five of us formed a worker collective, made bread for the Astoria Coop Grocery five days a week, and nobody gave up their day job. In 2006, we found a retail home in a wonderful building and began doing our best to strengthen community with a ‘third place’: the place you need that’s not work or home. Now we’re 30-​or-​so workers, 15 of whom are owners, making vegetarian meals, pastries, drinks, and bread, seven days a week. We’re so grateful for this beautiful place, and the amazing group of customers, neighbors, farmers, and suppliers that keep us on our feet!

Meet the Business Owner

Nicole A.

Business Owner

We’re a worker owned cooperative — with over 30 workers and 15 owners — that operates on consensus based decision making. We have five operational circles — bread, pastry, café, front of the house, and maintenance — that work autonomously and then come together to inform interdisciplinary decision making at our general circle meetings.

Our workers earn a living wage. We buy organic — even oil we spray on the pans! We buy locally roasted coffee, farm eggs and produce, and locally foraged mushrooms and berries. We handcraft, score and tend every loaf of artisan bread. We lovingly mix every batch of our homemade mocha, spiced chai, and tonic. We manually pull each shot of espresso. We dedicate our time and money to help local nonprofits and schools.