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Haley House Bakery Café
Fortifyng teh city, one muffin @ a tiem
By CHRISTINE LIU
del.ico.us
reddit!
A bleedingly fresh strawberry-rhubarb crisp prepared by pastry chef and baker Lesli Turock showcases locally grown seasonal produce these days at Haley House Bakery Café. Saddle up with a mugful of Equal Exchange coffee or hot cocoa, and you'll be doing your small—yet palpable—part to support Haley House's nonprofit multi-service advocacy in aiding members of Boston's low-income and underemployed community.
Much of the produce served in the café (physically and also in their thriving catering business) comes from Haley House's sustainable Noonday Farm, located in Winchendon Springs, Mass., as well as The Food Project in Roxbury and Dorchester. In addition to supplying the café, food from Noonday also goes to their 40-years-and-running South End soup kitchen and various food banks. "Haley House purchased the land 20 years ago and has been running it as an organic farm ever since," says bakery director Bing Broderick.
In addition to delicious food—"basically, it's a healthier twist on classic Southern fare" with vegan options consistently available—and events like tapas open-mic Thursdays hosted by independent radio producer and cultural warrior Nina LaNegra, there's a lot more sustenance under the surface. "We run a training program for people who are in transition—out of jail, not able to get a job," Broderick says. "Everything we do here right now is really working to sustain this. Anybody buying a cup of coffee helps to support our presence here and our training program."
Their South End outpost (an abridged version of the Roxbury café) had undergone a hiatus, but has once again resumed its purveying of soups and baked goods to the downtown crowd. "It has been very much open for the last two months," happily confirms Broderick.
Whether you're catering a party or hankering for a jerk chicken grilled cheese sandwich (yes, it is as good as it sounds), each bite works as a helpful step forward.
[Haley House Bakery Café, 12 Dade St., Dudley Sq., Roxbury. 617.445.0900 and 23 Dartmouth St., South End, Boston. 617.236.8132. haleyhouse.org]
