With fall upon us, the football season and cooler temperatures encourage me to fire up the oven again and start baking things. During the hot summer weather, I use my home oven as little as possible, but the crisp, back-to-school days are returning, so it’s a good time for bakers and snack companies everywhere to prepare for the peak production seasons.
And speaking of baking, our tour of Long Island City, N.Y.’s Tom Cat Bakery was an artisanal feast for the eyes and buttery heaven for the nose. With boundless energy, the bakery’s workers generate an incredible 450 stock-keeping units and deliver product three times a day, primarily for Manhattan-based restaurant customers, as well as others within a 150-mile radius. Tom Cat also caters to the finest eateries with luxuriously flavorful, top-quality, handcrafted artisan breads, rolls, loaves, buns and more. Its Rosemary/Sea Salt/Garlic focaccia bread is to die for, but its baguettes are as close to being in France as it gets.