Below is my review of the Gilbetville Bakery, Rose 32 Bread that appeared in the December, 2012 Sturbridge Times Magazine.
Hardwick is an idyllic spot in
Western Central Massachusetts. The
town center is the usual, picturesque common. The road leading to the Quabbin has a fine view. There are beautiful farms with happy cows
and, as reported in the September 2010 issue of the Sturbridge Times Magazine,
the town is the capital of grass fed ranching in the Commonwealth. Despite sometimes-harsh winters, there
is a thriving winery on a fine piece of land.
So, a perfect town exists just
northwest of Sturbridge Country.
Well, not completely. If
you travel onto Route 32 from Route 9, there is a stretch of moribund factories
and aging workers’ housing. The
manufacturing jobs of the mainly Polish immigrant population are gone. The working class section of Hardwick,
known as Gilbertville, has seen better days.
That does not mean there is no
enduring historical merit in the district. The Covered Bridge that spans the Ware River is an exemplar
of the style. Recently renovated,
it is something to see and could occupy the tourist for at least several
nanoseconds. Clearly Themepark
Gilbertville is not going to happen.
For me, the road through
Gilbertville has been a way to get somewhere else. This is not horrible; most roads are, as is the one that
passes by my home. One expects
little on the way to the destination.
Only vaguely did I notice the place
with the outdoor tables and umbrellas.
It looked like a shop, maybe garage that had been converted to some kind
of food business. Nothing about it
enticed me to stop. Luckily, It
was word of mouth that changed my mind.
Our first foray to Rose32 was for
takeout. There was a line of
people waiting to order. The
display case did not make choosing an easy chore. The variety of cakes and pastries was lavish and a feast for
the eyes. Steeling ourselves to
the task, my daughter, Bríd, and I made our selections.
First up, the almond croissant,
which had an almond paste, baked in.
The filling was good, but as in all them, it is the lovely moist
croissant that is the best part.
The tarts, cherry and raspberry
were rich. If you are averse to
flavor, they are not for you. Same
with the peach scone.
We also purchased a loaf of olive
bread. The breads are whole but
they offer to slice them. I’m more
partial to olives than the rest of the family and surely ate most of it.
Our next visit was for lunch. After ordering, one sits down with the
numbered sign so the server knows where to bring the order. One of the staff came over and apologized
to me (with a sincerity that could not have been feigned) because they only had
the rustic baguette for my capresse.
Would that be acceptable? I
acquiesced and happily lived to tell the tale. A capresse is a baguette sandwich of tomatoes, mozzarella,
and pesto with balsamic and olive oil.
Bríd had the salmon crostini, an
open-faced sandwich with smoked salmon and capers, cream cheese, and onions on
toasted sourdough walnut bread.
All too often, a salmon crostini can be overly salty, but this one was just
right.
I also ordered the soup of the day
which was squash with crispy bacon and balsamic. It came with bread and butter. Bríd left with a Breton, which she described as a sort of
shortbread cookie.
We came back with Robin, my wife,
for breakfast. Robin had the
cheddar and green onion biscuit sandwich with egg, and ham, and described it as
fantastic.
Bríd had the chicken potpie on
special. Though the vegetables in
the pie were okay, the chicken was perfect.
My scrambled hash, a pleasant
mélange of diced ham, potatoes and green onions with a cover of cheddar, left
me satisfied.
All of this is in a building that
is a converted service station. It
has its advantages as the large windows of the inherited structure gives Rose32
an abundance of natural light. The
industrial aspect of the structure serves it well as most of the production
takes place in a huge oven imported from Barcelona. It is difficult to imagine such a behemoth precision
instrument on anything but a heavy-duty floor.
Such an oven is necessary to get
the crust right and cook the breads evenly. This sentiment is attributed to Glen Mitchell by his wife
Cindy. They are the Rose 32
co-owners. The Mitchell’s had a
thriving bakery business in San Francisco with 250 employees and four retail
outlets and a distribution network.
As interesting as the story is, the food is most important aspect of
their adventure.
That is true. I have never had a flakier or more
buttery croissant.
So there is a reason to visit
Gilbertville, and after you eat the sticky bun and lick your fingers, you can
cross the covered bridge.
