Pst! The Bashful Baker...

(May 16, 2003, Holbrook Sun article written by Juli Boman)

Bashful Baker not shy about quality, proof is in the pudding

If I'd known you were coming, I'd have baked a cake. Or how about this one: You must be rolling in the dough. According to Susan Hebb, the less bashful of the two bakers, blushing behind the counters at The Bashful Baker, "We've heard them all."

But chef Hebb and her business partner, chef Bonnie Shearing, still like laughing when someone remembers one of those old baking puns. "Oh, like I've never heard that one before," Hebb will say with an airy spirit of fun and a wink.

But joking around with Hebb, or Sue, as many of her regulars affectionately refer to her, over a fresh cup of hot java or some chocolate-dipped berries or a few mudslide truffles, available in two sizes, is only one of the many, charming and yummy enjoyments to be found Wednesday through Sunday at the bakery/cafe.

The Bashful Baker is located seconds from Holbrook's town center at 120 North Franklin Street (Route 37).
Just inches from where the "state highway begins" and within walking distance of town hail, and on the same side of the street, the Bashful Baker is also a place we all seek out at times, because it's where everyone, or at least someone, will know our name. And if Susan or Bonnie, who really is the bashful one, didn't know your name when you walked in, chances are, Susan, who really isn't the least bit bashful, will know it by the time you leave. And she'll remember it, as well as what you liked for dessert.

Thanks to Holbrook's time encapsulated, small-town feel melding smoothly with Bashful Baker's top-notch care to its clientele and craft of serving up delectable menus complete with weekend lunch specials, Bashful's reputation as the "Cheers" of South Shore bak ery/cafes is rising faster than the fresh-baked bread made there daily.

It could have been Easter Sunday at the Bashful last Sunday, as things were hopping all over the clean, like new, five-year-old bakery. And things remained that way all day from the early morning, before Hebb and Shearing even opened their doors at 10 a.m., until 4 p.m. when they closed them.

But then it was Mother's Day last Sunday, May 11, and what better way to show mom how much we appreciate her than with fresh homemade strawber ry cheesecake, or carrot cake that mom didn't have to make, but still tastes like she did.

And there were many moms spotted dining right at the bakery all afternoon. One could tell they were moms because of the way they lit up when the server brought them their delectable éclairs dripping with chocolate, or creamy fudge tortes. These same women also beamed when their young daughters or teenaged sons suddenly pro duced money-bearing wallets after the check arrived. They were definitely moms, really happy moms.

One gentleman popping into the bakery for his to-go order of delicacies, was happy to brag about his selection of Lemmon Raspberry and Chocolate Ganache tortes that he was taking home for a special Mother's Day family get together planned for later in the day.

" I'm in here quite often,"Braintree resident Brian Dunfield said. "Whenever I want something special I know where to go. The Bashful Baker is local. I like patronizing local people," Dunfield added. "Today is a special occasion," he explained while holding up his sacred box of treats. "I just live a 1/2 mile down the road. Tonight we're having dinner for 10 people, including three children and two grandchildren and my mother, who is 95 years old."

The proof that The Bashful Baker puts quality ahead of everything else is in the many scrumptious, freshly prepared desserts that seem to just fly out the door, light as air, like Chocolate Sabayon cake, which is Bashful's version of chocolate mousse cake with a touch of sweet Marsala wine, or Chocolate Pecan Tart, Boston Cream Torte, or Terrine of Tiramisu, which according to The Bashful Baker's "Unique Gourmet Pastries" menu, is a classical Italian cream cheese mousse poured between layers of rum soaked sponge cake. It's finished with espresso whipped cream, a cocoa dust, and chocolate diamonds.

" I baked 10 extra Gateau cakes today and none of them
even made it to the display case," Susan said washing her hands. "1 had one customer tapping on the window this morning before we opened asking me for a cake. I told her she could have the one I was making right then, if she could return in an hour when it would be ready, which she did. And there isn't a single one left and it's not quite 3 pm."

Everything available at The Bashful Baker is prepared fresh each morning from scratch by pastry chefs Susan and Bonnie. The two women begin work each morning by 5:30 and maintain that the highest quality is always their chief ingredient.

" Bashful's has the best éclairs," Stephen Schieb of Marshfield says while carefully carrying his out of the bakery. He slowly hands the box to his wife Diane Schieb who is sitting in their car smiling and carefully taking the box from him, like it were gold.

"We used to live in Holbrook," Mr. Schieb explains. "So we make a point of coming back to The Bashful Baker whenever we are in this area because we go where the quality is."

"Be sure to speak to Pat Corti inside," Mrs. Schieb explains. "She is the mayor of Bashful's, she's such a regular customer."

Asked if she was the mayor of The Bashful Baker, Pat Corti roared with laughter as did her daughter Jennifer Buccigross and other patrons who were also dining leisurely in the café.

"I was born and raised in Holbrook," Pat says with a huge smile. She's such a regular, regular everyone who comes in seems to know her as well as they know Susan and Bonnie.

"There isn't anything in this store that isn't delicious. The chocolate is to die for good. The Lemmon Raspberry Torte is fabulous," Pat said.

"She had a choice of anyplace to go today and she chose The Bashful Baker," Jennifer said. Jennifer also paid the bill, which only stirred more smiles for Pat.

"Sue is far from bashful," Pat said. "They're both great gals and deserve all the success they've worked so hard to achieve. I've been coming here since the days Bashful opened," Pat said. "When they started they were doing a lot of wedding cakes, which they still do. But this was just a coffee shop with really good scones. Then they started doing the sandwiches. Sue does all the roasting, she cooks fresh turkey and roast beef for the lunch specials," she added.

	An In-depth Review of the Bashful Baker
(May 16, 2003, Holbrook Sun article written by Juli Boman) Bashful Baker not shy about quality, proof is in the pudding If I'd known you were coming, I'd have baked a cake. Or how about this one: You must be rolling in the dough. According to Susan Hebb, the less bashful of the two bakers, blushing behind the counters at The Bashful Baker, "We've heard them all." But chef Hebb and her business partner, chef Bonnie Shearing, still like laughing when someone remembers one of those old baking puns. "Oh, like I've never heard that one before," Hebb will say with an airy spirit of fun and a wink. But joking around with Hebb, or Sue, as many of her regulars affectionately refer to her, over a fresh cup of hot java or some chocolate-dipped berries or a few mudslide truffles, available in two sizes, is only one of the many, charming and yummy enjoyments to be found Wednesday through Sunday at the bakery/cafe. The Bashful Baker is located seconds from Holbrook's town center at 120 North Franklin Street (Route 37). Just inches from where the "state highway begins" and within walking distance of town hail, and on the same side of the street, the Bashful Baker is also a place we all seek out at times, because it's where everyone, or at least someone, will know our name. And if Susan or Bonnie, who really is the bashful one, didn't know your name when you walked in, chances are, Susan, who really isn't the least bit bashful, will know it by the time you leave. And she'll remember it, as well as what you liked for dessert. Thanks to Holbrook's time encapsulated, small-town feel melding smoothly with Bashful Baker's top-notch care to its clientele and craft of serving up delectable menus complete with weekend lunch specials, Bashful's reputation as the "Cheers" of South Shore bak ery/cafes is rising faster than the fresh-baked bread made there daily. It could have been Easter Sunday at the Bashful last Sunday, as things were hopping all over the clean, like new, five-year-old bakery. And things remained that way all day from the early morning, before Hebb and Shearing even opened their doors at 10 a.m., until 4 p.m. when they closed them. But then it was Mother's Day last Sunday, May 11, and what better way to show mom how much we appreciate her than with fresh homemade strawber ry cheesecake, or carrot cake that mom didn't have to make, but still tastes like she did. And there were many moms spotted dining right at the bakery all afternoon. One could tell they were moms because of the way they lit up when the server brought them their delectable éclairs dripping with chocolate, or creamy fudge tortes. These same women also beamed when their young daughters or teenaged sons suddenly pro duced money-bearing wallets after the check arrived. They were definitely moms, really happy moms. One gentleman popping into the bakery for his to-go order of delicacies, was happy to brag about his selection of Lemmon Raspberry and Chocolate Ganache tortes that he was taking home for a special Mother's Day family get together planned for later in the day. " I'm in here quite often,"Braintree resident Brian Dunfield said. "Whenever I want something special I know where to go. The Bashful Baker is local. I like patronizing local people," Dunfield added. "Today is a special occasion," he explained while holding up his sacred box of treats. "I just live a 1/2 mile down the road. Tonight we're having dinner for 10 people, including three children and two grandchildren and my mother, who is 95 years old." The proof that The Bashful Baker puts quality ahead of everything else is in the many scrumptious, freshly prepared desserts that seem to just fly out the door, light as air, like Chocolate Sabayon cake, which is Bashful's version of chocolate mousse cake with a touch of sweet Marsala wine, or Chocolate Pecan Tart, Boston Cream Torte, or Terrine of Tiramisu, which according to The Bashful Baker's "Unique Gourmet Pastries" menu, is a classical Italian cream cheese mousse poured between layers of rum soaked sponge cake. It's finished with espresso whipped cream, a cocoa dust, and chocolate diamonds. " I baked 10 extra Gateau cakes today and none of them even made it to the display case," Susan said washing her hands. "1 had one customer tapping on the window this morning before we opened asking me for a cake. I told her she could have the one I was making right then, if she could return in an hour when it would be ready, which she did. And there isn't a single one left and it's not quite 3 pm." Everything available at The Bashful Baker is prepared fresh each morning from scratch by pastry chefs Susan and Bonnie. The two women begin work each morning by 5:30 and maintain that the highest quality is always their chief ingredient. " Bashful's has the best éclairs," Stephen Schieb of Marshfield says while carefully carrying his out of the bakery. He slowly hands the box to his wife Diane Schieb who is sitting in their car smiling and carefully taking the box from him, like it were gold. "We used to live in Holbrook," Mr. Schieb explains. "So we make a point of coming back to The Bashful Baker whenever we are in this area because we go where the quality is." "Be sure to speak to Pat Corti inside," Mrs. Schieb explains. "She is the mayor of Bashful's, she's such a regular customer." Asked if she was the mayor of The Bashful Baker, Pat Corti roared with laughter as did her daughter Jennifer Buccigross and other patrons who were also dining leisurely in the café. "I was born and raised in Holbrook," Pat says with a huge smile. She's such a regular, regular everyone who comes in seems to know her as well as they know Susan and Bonnie. "There isn't anything in this store that isn't delicious. The chocolate is to die for good. The Lemmon Raspberry Torte is fabulous," Pat said. "She had a choice of anyplace to go today and she chose The Bashful Baker," Jennifer said. Jennifer also paid the bill, which only stirred more smiles for Pat. "Sue is far from bashful," Pat said. "They're both great gals and deserve all the success they've worked so hard to achieve. I've been coming here since the days Bashful opened," Pat said. "When they started they were doing a lot of wedding cakes, which they still do. But this was just a coffee shop with really good scones. Then they started doing the sandwiches. Sue does all the roasting, she cooks fresh turkey and roast beef for the lunch specials," she added.	Pastry chef and owner of the Bashful Baker Susan Hebb, says that the toughest challenge with starting her business "has been educating John Q. Public as to what a good pastry is. We're practicing a craft and a skill that a lot of people aren't practicing anymore." "It's just amazing to see how much they've grown in just five years." Just then a customer enters the bakery/café, a woman who catches Pat's attention. "Hey Heather – long time no see. How have you been?" Pat says to her, gently raising her speaking volume so the woman can hear her. "I love your new hair style." The woman is appreciative of the compliment and happy to see Pat. She is smiling as she peruses the many sweets tucked behind the display case. She must be a fellow mom. "I've got a 911 up the street," Susan says to Bonnie after taking a phone call. She washes her hands again and heads for some ingredients. Almost magically a gorgeous cake appears, another mouthwatering masterpiece, and finally the emergency is over and Susan can take a short break. "We're planning to have outdoor seating on the patio this summer," Susan says pointing through the huge pained glass windows that line the length of the bakery/café to the new landscaping that was just completed by Hillary Moll-Flores. "They were very good," she said. Bonnie graduated from the same college with the same degree as Susan – Rhode Island's Johnson and Wales with a degree in pastry arts – but Bonnie graduated in 1991, ten years after Susan graduated in 1981. The two met in 1992 when Bonnie answered a want ad for a job working for Susan at the Dedham Hilton. "I was the head pastry chef at the Dedham Hilton and I had placed an ad for someone to work for me. Bonnie came in for the interview and I noticed she had recently graduated from the same program that I did over 10 years before," Susan explained. "At the time Bonnie was cooking breakfast at a little restaurant somewhere. I asked her why she was doing that when she had the same degree from the same school as me. She said that she couldn't find a pastry chef job. And I said, 'you've found' one now," Susan said. "After that she ran around in circles while I talked to everyone. Sort of like what we do today at The Bashful Baker," she added smiling. After a brief period where Susan and the hotel no longer saw eye to eye on baking standards, she and Bonnie formed an alliance and left the hotel. Soon they were hired back but as a vendor. Susan found a bread baker who wasn't using his kitchen during the evenings. He leased her his ovens and she and Bonnie were in business for themselves. They supplied all the cakes and pastries to the hotel and slowly built up a reputation for quality as well as a budding clientele. Then in 1996 after receiving a tip from a friend about the available storefront in Holbrook, they were able to open The Bashful Baker. "This is where I spend most of my time so I want it to be comfortable. I've spent a lot of years working in hotel pastry kitchens, which were always insulated from people. It seems like they always bury the pastry kitchen in the bowels of the hotel at the end of some barren hallway," Susan said. "The biggest challenge has been educating John Q. Public as to what a good pastry is. We're practicing a craft and skill that a lot of people aren't practicing anymore," she added. "If I had one regret, it would be that I didn't start this business sooner, because I would be that much further along in the business development. It takes a lot of hours. You have to be dedicated to it. I don't care how talented you are. It's great that Bonnie's parents are just up the road. It's tougher for me because my parents live in New Hampshire," she said. Susan has to get up and help a customer. She has her chef hat back on and is washing her hands, yet again. "If I had any advice for anyone wanting to start their own business," Susan said recently to a group of Girl Scouts who completed one of their merit badges by interviewing her, "do it. Putting your own money on your own horse is worth taking the risk. Only be prepared to work, work, work." Holbrook resident and teacher Beth Tolson stopped in for a Mother's Day treat with her three grownup kids Kathleen, 23, Kevin, 14, and Tim, 21. "Everything was really good," she said. "We always like coming here. They have delicious chicken wraps and chowders. "Oh my, Tim's got his wallet out," Beth says smiling. "I remember the first time we purchased cake from The Bashful Baker. We had two of the most beautiful cakes delivered for our dual graduation party for Kathleen, who was graduating from college, and Tim, who was graduating from high school. You know, come to think of it, there wasn't a single drop left of either one of those cakes," Beth said. "Now that's the first time that's ever happened." ### The Bashful Baker can create that perfect dessert for that special meal, or cater your event or meeting, regardless of the number of guests you are entertaining! Call for a menu or consultation today. Call the Bashful Baker at (781) 767-1278
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