New Boston Bakery thriving in the neighborhood 26 years later

When customers refer to New Boston Bakery, most of the time they call it “My Bakery,” or “The Bakery,” said owner Jim Souza.

And if his loyal customers want to think of it as their own, that’s just fine with Souza.

“The Apostles,” as he calls a group that comes in regularly every morning, grew out of individual customers who started talking to each other over a cup of coffee and a muffin or a scone. Little by little, the group grew and now the 12 or so in the “breakfast club” can be spotted there most mornings. “They all met each other here and they’re all super friendly now. It’s been that way with many people and many friendships -- There’s countless amounts of those,” said Souza.

“I’ve been to weddings from people I met here. It’s not just work, part of it has turned into pleasure," he added. "Nowadays you don’t know your neighbor – I know everybody around here. It's kind of nice.”

At any given time of the day, customers stop in for a treat on the way to work, settle in for lunch in the garden out back, or round out the afternoon with something sweet and an espresso.

Fruit turnovers overflowing with fresh cream, seasonal fruit pies, cream puffs, carrot cake with a generous layer of butter cream frosting, éclairs, date bars, apple squares, sugar cookies, muffins and scones bursting with fresh berries are some of the items that keep customers loyal year after year.

But the biggest sellers are the chocolate chip cookies (made to just the right amount of sweetness and chock full of bittersweet chocolate morsels) and the chocolate-coated coconut macaroons. “I have customers whose kids will only eat our chocolate chip cookies,” said Souza, as he took a bite out of one.

And there’s also the savory side of the bakery: Buffalo chicken turnovers, meat pies, wraps, sandwiches and salads. The Chatham, a specialty sandwich made on cranberry pecan bread with sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, red onion and mayo, is the most popular, said chef/business partner John Kandalaft.

When the weather heats up, customers looking for lighter fare go for the salads, especially the strawberry mango salad served on a bed of greens with red onion, goat cheese, toasted pecans and poppy seed dressing. Kandalaft also makes chilled soups as specials including a refreshing watermelon gazpacho, topped with a bit of crumbled feta.

The great food is what keeps customers coming back year after year, but a few seconds with Marlee, Kandalaft’s lovable, chilled out schnauzer/dachshund mix, might also be in contention, they said. The friendly dog goes out for deliveries to area offices and most people request a visit from Marlee as part of their delivery, said Souza.

He opened the bakery 26 years ago at 295 Bedford St., in the quirky space where Dr. Nicole MacDonald’s office is located. When the hardware store next door closed, Souza made the first big change in the expanding business by purchasing the building at 279 New Boston Road and moving into its current location.

Souza, who has a degree in computer science, worked in that field for 13 years before deciding to follow his passion for baking. He only took one class in baking before opening, using mostly his mother’s and grandmother’s recipes, most of which are still made today. “It’s something that I enjoy passionately and it worked,” he said.

Though they were Portuguese, his family never made typical Portuguese desserts. “It’s pretty much home cooking: chocolate chip cookies, muffins, brownies, cookies, scones,” he said.

His mother, Rose (who passed away nine years ago) and his father, Herman, helped him out a lot at the bakery in the early days. “She was a big catalyst, even in coming up with the look of the place,” said Souza of the cozy, welcoming space.

And her recipes for raisin squares, date bars, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and blueberry muffins are still some of the most popular items.

Kandalaft came into the business around 2003, launching the savory foods on the menu. “He makes everything from scratch, every day,” said Souza.

Almost immediately, the business tripled with the savory foods and they had to expand. They added the bright sunny room on the western side of the business that opens out into a garden with even more seating.

A big part of the business is catering, especially business meetings and luncheons at area offices, schools and medical buildings. Souza said he's also very generous in supporting local charities, school groups and nonprofits.

“It grew at dramatic paces when I made the major changes of moving here and adding the savory food. Now it’s consistently good,” he said.

Email Linda Murphy at lmurphy@heraldnews.com.