Bread Worthy Bakery announces new Iowa City location in former Goosetown Cafe

IOWA CITY — A building on the Northside is coming full circle as an Iowa City couple plans to open the brick-and-mortar for their bakery.

Bread Worthy Bakery, which has been run out of a home kitchen since owners Colleen Brennan and Erick Dole opened it in 2021, will soon fill a vacant storefront at 203 N. Linn St. — the former Goosetown Cafe.

The couple announced their plans with a timeline for opening this summer. Bread Worthy, a licensed home bakery, currently sells its goods through pre-orders for pickup, on weekends at Daydrink on 518 Bowery St. and seasonally at the Iowa City Farmer’s Market.

“After 5 years of running our business out of our home kitchen, we’re both incredibly excited for the expansion into our first storefront location where we look forward to being able to serve you multiple days a week throughout the entire year and for the opportunities it brings for an even fuller and more innovative menu,” they said in a social media announcement on Feb. 21.

Construction to gut and upgrade the building is underway by its new owners. An exact opening timeline has not yet been announced.

The address was originally home to Union Bakery when it opened in the 1860s.

Brennan and Dole first met in pastry school in Italy 14 years ago before perfecting their craft through work around the world.

They returned to Iowa City, Dole’s hometown, in 2020 to start their dream bakery. Brennan, a native of New Jersey, was named one of Iowa’s 40 Women to Watch by the Iowa Restaurant Association in 2021.

Their pastries use specialty butter from France, local eggs and organic stone ground flour from Ashkum, Illinois.

The space’s last tenant, Goosetown Cafe, started as a breakfast and brunch bistro before evolving into a seasonal farm-to-table concept in 2022. Owners Kathy and Peter Kessler closed temporarily in January 2023 before closing permanently later that year.

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.

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