The weather has already shifted, with leaves crunching beneath my feet as I walk to Oak Bakeshop in the Mount Hope neighborhood. Sun streams through the big front windows onto the long counter as people tap away on their laptops alongside handmade mugs of hot coffee and plates of pastries. The energy is welcoming and cheery; I spy a wall of colorful gifts and punny branded merchandise en route to ogle the bakery case filled with the day’s offerings. It’s Yom Kippur eve, before the fast, and the Jewish bakery has been buzzing all morning with folks getting traditional offerings like hamantaschen, rugelach, bourekas, Jerusalem bagels, and challah, as well as treats like coffee cake and apple cinnamon muffins. Executive Pastry Chef Lori Kettelle greets me warmly as we realize we are both Jersey girls who found our way to Little Rhody. “Providence offers such a sense of community in the food industry,” she shares, “I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”
The whirling of the bubblegum-pink espresso machine provides a cadence to the bustle of the team’s careful dance through the snug work area. Their tiny prep area leaves no room for clutter. Kettelle, who owns the bakery/cafe with her husband Paul, shows me how to roll and braid challah dough, while other team members are baking muffins and mixing batter all around us in the pristine open kitchen. “There is no off-site commissary or hidden kitchen; what you see is what you get,” says Kettelle. “People are shocked that we make everything from scratch in such a small place.”
Kettelle is no stranger to sweets. Her culinary path started in high school, baking cakes and making ice cream for Cold Stone Creamery before attending Johnson & Wales University. After stints at Sin in Providence and Capitale in New York City, the Kettelles opened their Instagram-famous PVDonuts while Kettelle was in her early twenties. After years of reflection and being drawn to do more traditional forms of baking, they sold PVDonuts just as the building became available for Oak Bakeshop, it was meant to be. “This was always the goal,” Kettelle says.
During this turn back to the traditional, Kettelle also began rediscovering her Jewish roots after reading Here All Along: Finding Meaning, Spirituality, and a Deeper Connection to Life – in Judaism (After Finally Choosing to Look There) by Sarah Hurwitz. “Food is always at the forefront for me, and what better way to explore my culture and religion than through baking?” Just like her personal life, Oak isn’t strictly Jewish, but Jew-ish. At home, Lori and Paul are an interfaith household and celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. By gathering recipes from their circle, such as their gluten-free banana bread – a tweaked recipe from a friend’s grandmother, and their challah from a great aunt, they’ve nurtured branches that stretch across cultures, throughout the city, and a sense of home for everyone. Says Kettelle, “We set out with a goal of creating a welcoming environment to share and explore Jewish culture and traditions through food.” Oak Bakeshop, 130 Cypress Street
On offer for Hanukkah this year will be a themed cookie box with black and blue cookies, a gelt-inspired chocolate tart, and take-and-bake cinnamon buns, in addition to all their usual goodies. If you need a gift to bring to a gathering along with baked goods, don’t worry, there are delicate handmade ceramic mugs from Providence artist Handsel Mondays, as well as glassware, stationery, and more. Make sure to get your holiday orders in early, as online ordering will be open before December 1. And while you’re there, pick up a coffee, too. Front of house manager Ezra Hileman has designed the beverage program to shine through the holiday season with infused cold foams and house-made syrups.
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