Bakery Journey | Part 4

Mark your calendars, Saturday, July 11th is the big day.

It’s my first time writing from the bakery.

The oven is on, our first ingredient delivery arrived this morning, and the kitchen team will be here in an hour for our very first day of baking. It all feels surreal and familiar at the same time. While we still have plenty of finishing touches, unpacking, and recipe testing ahead of us, I already feel such a sense of relief simply being in here.

Everything around me has been so thoughtfully and lovingly chosen, I feel right at home. Little bits and bobs from my collection of antiques that I’ve been sourcing for years have finally found their home. There are peaches on the counter, ripening, waiting to be baked into tomorrow’s peach cornmeal loaf test (gasp!!).

I think I’ve been imagining this exact moment for much longer than I realized. This whole process has been an emotional rollercoaster and a lot of personal reflection — of my career, family, community, everything that has shaped me and brought me to this moment. Sitting here this morning, before everyone arrives, it has all really sunk in. The beauty, the chaos, the hard work and everything in between.

Right now, I’m sitting at the shop table with our one folding chair and a cup of coffee. The neighborhood is already awake, and I’m watching my new neighbors walk their dogs, head to work, and begin their day through our big windows. The bakery looks completely different than it did 24 hours ago, which somehow seems to be true every single morning. Over the last eight weeks, I’ve been amazed by how much can actually happen in a single day.

These past eight weeks have been a whirlwind. Everyone warned me that the final stretch would be a sprint, that I’d be deep in the trenches, and they were absolutely right. Every day my to-do list somehow doubles, and by the end of it I genuinely don’t know which way is up. I’ve been surviving on coffee, water, an afternoon Coca-Cola, and a little prayer. My brother also arrived from Shanghai, where he lives, to be here to support in this final lead up. I can say without a doubt this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s also the most exciting and exhilarating, and I don’t take that for granted for a second.

I’m so excited to announce, that our official soft opening will be Saturday, July 11th.

For July and August, the bakery will be open Thursday through Sunday, 8:30 a.m. until sold out (or around 1:30 p.m.). We are located at 434 Hancock Street in Bed Stuy!

I went back and forth on this decision more times than I can count. Is the soft opening period too long? Should we open another day? Were these the right hours? I asked friends, neighbors, Carley—anyone willing to lend me their ear.

But in the end, this feels right. This is what my gut keeps coming back to.This is a huge transition, both for me and for our new team, and I want to give us the space to find our rhythm and make each day better than the last. I want everyone who walks through our doors to experience Saison the way I’ve imagined it for all these years.

We’ll be opening with a menu of Saison signatures—many of the bakes I’ve been making over the last five years. You’ll find warm morning muffins, slices of seasonal cakes, cookies, scones, and a few rotating specials each week as we continue to play. We’ll also have drip coffee and cold brew from Parlor Coffee, and tea and matcha from Masha Tea.

The shop shelves are filled with stationery, vintage treasures, candles, soaps, and other thoughtful things I’ve collected and sourced. Over the coming weeks, we’ll continue to grow — sandwiches, savory offerings, and a refrigerator stocked with prepared foods are all on the horizon. At the end of July, we’ll also begin accepting cake orders through our new website.

It feels a little unbelievable that in less than two weeks, people will finally walk through these doors. From the bottom of my heart, thank you and I hope you’ll be one of them!

Official invite coming soon :)