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Craft to Crumb A Note From The Editor
JOANIE SPENCER
Editor-in-Chief
joanie@avantfoodmedia.com
STAR OF THE SHOW
We all know someone who’s a generational baker with flour running through their veins. But in this issue, we meet a couple who started a bakery in an effort to move away from the family business. In Springfield, MO, Lauren and Clif Brown opened Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe as a spinoff of the original, which was started by Lauren’s family in Harrison, AR.
Interestingly, Lauren never wanted to take over the family business, which began in foodservice. Her words, in fact, were, “Not interested.”
Try as kids do to rebel against family traditions, they mostly come back to their roots. Sometimes all it takes is doing it their own way. That’s how Lauren and Clif opened the second generation of Neighbor’s Mill. While it’s part of the original, it undeniably has its own signature. Then again, one family tradition remains: Bread is still the “star of the show.”
But while bread might be the centrifuge, Lauren and Clif are also building a culture that’s all their own, including overnight shifts that the baking team is happy to work … after all, it was the team’s idea. Creating unity among people who love the job — and the products that come from it — is what this industry is all about. And seeing the next generation carry on traditions in their own unique ways? That’s what family is all about. With a little help from the bread, of course.
Welcome to Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe.
Craft to Crumb
BACK TO BASICS
Bakers find favor by incorporating tried-and-true methods into their artisan bread.
BY MADDIE LAMBERT
Flour. Water. Salt. Yeast. These are staples for bread bakers, specifically those in the artisanal segment. For bread lovers, the texture, aroma and taste of each loaf satisfy a craving, and it all starts with those simple ingredients … but current trends suggest it should end with them, too.
There is a growing appetite for authentic baking methods among a wide swath of consumers, evidenced by an increasing preference for artisan items with fewer ingredients. Rising demand for more natural, healthier products and interest in elevated versions of traditional comfort foods propel this market niche.
Photo courtesy of Hewn
Photos courtesy of Small State
According to Stellar Market Research, the global artisanal bakery market was valued at $33.8 billion in 2023 and is expected to grow at 4.13% CAGR, reaching around $48 billion by 2030.
This demand can be attributed to health-conscious consumers who are moving toward whole grain breads. Research from AMF Bakery Systems found that engaged consumers are willing to pay 80%-100% more for bread with rustic or artisan-style qualities with health attributes.
Defining bread as “artisan” used to be as simple as describing fromscratch baked goods found in local bakeries, but more recently, the definition has narrowed to focus on the grains — particularly locally sourced ones — used to produce those baked goods.
The surge in interest for local grains is directly attributed to the “conscious consumerism” trend — a mindful approach to buying nutrient-dense, minimally processed and locally grown foods. In fact, according to Statista, more than 42% of Americans prefer to buy products with locally grown ingredients.
By sourcing whole grains regionally, artisan bakeries can accommodate customers who continuously seek out locally grown ingredients and shop with expanded knowledge of which bakeries work directly with farmers. Locally milled grains also provide a diverse taste profile.
By 2030, the global artisanal bakery market is expected to reach around $48 billion
Source: Stellar Market Research
“A lot of bakeries are trying to get away from using commercial yeast in their bread,” said Kevin Masse, founder and owner of Small State Provisions in West Hartford, CT, a bakery that specializes in organic, handcrafted bread. “I see a lot of bakeries using either in-house stone mills or they’re working with small stone millers to produce locally sourced grains.”
Demand for whole grains aligns with the better-for-you trend as consumers increasingly turn their attention to food labels. Bakers who incorporate whole grains into their breads can satisfy this demand by offering authentic taste without artificial colors and added preservatives.
On Chicago’s North Shore, Hewn is passionate about expanding consumer knowledge on what grains grow specific to the region. By prompting customers to look at everything listed on the label (or what should not be listed), the bakery capitalizes on its relationship with area farmers.
“We encourage our farmers to be a little bit more thoughtful and diverse with what they’re growing,” explained Ellen King, founder and co-owner of Hewn. “Some are heritage varieties that grow really well in wet soil, but some are drought tolerant, so that engagement with the farmer shows we can market what they grow in some variety.”
With eccentric pairings seeing an uptick in modern food culture — the
Craft to Crumb Consumer Trends
“swicy” trend is dominating this flavor fusion — the artisan bread industry has also seen a rising inclination for unconventional flavor pairings.
Among the numerous loaf options at Hewn are flavors such as Polenta, Pumpkin Seed and Rosemary, Cranberry Walnut, Picholine-Olive Country, and Caramelized Onion Rye. The bakery approaches its product variations with a traditionalist outlook. It creates madefrom-scratch breads daily that omit preservatives, additives, chemicals and commercial yeast.
“We look at essentially trying to make the wheat stand out,” Ellen said. “We’re very forward with the grains that we’re using rather than trying to add different things that distract from that.”
Customizing artisan breads that incorporate customer feedback is one way to drive foot traffic into stores and diversify bakery cases. Small State Provisions produced a garlic loaf with Asiago and basil as a direct result of customer preference for new flavor combinations.
Current flavor trends also influence Small State Provisions’ process when the bakery sees a capacity for it. Kevin dabbles in bread varieties only on occasion, such as when he noticed other bakeries sweetening traditionally savory bread with fresh fruits or brown sugar and cinnamon.
“A lot of bakeries are taking focaccia towards the sweet side, so we created a Peach and Blue Cheese version,” he said.
Offering a sweeter version resonated with customers who were looking for something a little different and encouraged the more trepidatious ones to embrace the unique flavor combination.
Hewn also saw success with incorporating seasonal fruit into its menu, yet kept the trend toward healthier baked goods in mind by letting the fruit’s natural sweetness shine throughout its products.
“If we use blueberries, we toss them with a tiny bit of sugar and vanilla and then bake them,” Ellen said. “Customers get the baked sweetness of the blueberries without the excess sugar.”
Creating distinct artisanal baked goods caters to modern bread preferences, which prioritize authentic, non-commercial ingredients. Product trends will always shift with generational consumerism, but classic, simple artisan recipes sustain these changes.
“The future of the industry looks really bright,” Kevin shared. “For so long, there was a trend away from people wanting to eat bread, but now there’s been a return to focus on the craft of making bread — making slow bread — that’s not made in a tunnel oven with yeast.”
Connecting with local farmers for grain sourcing and staying true to the simplistic ingredients of artisan bread can generate opportunities to attract new customers to neighborhood bakeries … and ensure the industry is alive and well for generations to come.
Photo courtesy of Hewn
Craft to Crumb
Featured Bakery | Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe
A CULTURE OF THEIR OWN
The second generation of Neighbor’s Mill is shaping its future through fresh bread and quality people.
BY ANNIE HOLLON
A bakery is only as good as its best product, and when the hands that shape those offerings are taken care of, so is the end result. At Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe in Springfield, MO, bread has been center stage for a score and then some, showcased in every facet of the business, with a familial culture serving as support.
Neighbor’s Mill was the brainchild of Mike Nabors, who always dreamed of having a bakery cafe but knew that most people who open restaurants with no experience fail. Instead, he and his wife, Karin, bought a Dairy Queen in the ’90s and spent the next decade learning the ins and outs of restaurant operations.
In 2000, they opened the flagship Neighbor’s Mill location in Harrison,
AR. While their children Lauren and Cary were heavily involved in the store’s opening, Lauren had no interest in permanently joining the family business.
“I always said I would never be involved in the restaurant,” Lauren recalled. “You say you’re never going to do what your family does, so I was like, ‘Absolutely not, don’t want to do it, not interested.’”
Instead, she moved to New York to attend the Institute of Culinary Education. Lauren met her nowhusband Clif Brown, who worked the front counter at Levain Bakery’s Harlem location. The two immersed themselves in the local food scene, shaping their perspective on the industry and gaining hands-on experience.
Photos by Olivia Siddall, Maddie Lambert and Annie Hollon | Avant Food Media
Craft
to Crumb Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe
Eventually, the couple returned to the Midwest and entertained the idea of joining the family business but on their own terms.
“We knew we didn’t want to move to Harrison,” Lauren said. “If we moved, we wanted to open a separate location outside of Arkansas.”
The pair moved to Springfield, MO, in 2015 and became the owners and operators of the second Neighbor’s Mill location, which opened in January 2016. Not only did the 5,565-square-foot bakery cafe mark an opportunity to grow the business, but it was also a way to affirm the longevity of Mike’s original goal.
“Part of her dad’s vision was that Neighbor’s Mill would become franchised,” Clif said. “That was also a big part of us being involved in the first location outside of Harrison. It needed to be family-owned, and we needed to see if what he had built wasn’t a crazy fluke but could sustain itself.”
Though the robust menu includes a variety of sandwiches, soups and salads, bread takes top billing at Neighbor’s Mill, continuing Mike and Karin’s philosophy of it being “the star of the show.”
The bakery offers about 25 rotating varieties of pan-style loaves, most of which are used in the cafe’s menu items. Among its most popular are the Neighbor’s Best nine-grain loaf, Bronze Honey Wheat and two sourdough varieties:
Lauren Nabors Brown
WATCH NOW:
Tim’s Sourdough, named after Harrison’s original head baker Tim Stretton, and Springfield Sourdough, which uses no commercial yeast and is vegan.
Neighbor’s Mill also offers various sweet breads, muffins, cookies, scones, bagels, cakes, brownies, cupcakes, pies, sticky buns and laminated baked goods.
“With the second generation, it’s not only about carrying on what Mike and Karin have done but also building on top of that,” Clif said. “The majority of our menu is the same as the Harrison bakery, but there are some things that sell in Harrison that don’t sell here, and some things that sell here that wouldn’t sell in Harrison. It’s bizarre, but that’s also been interesting to help our bakery evolve.”
Lauren Nabors Brown shares the details that set Neighbor’s Mill apart from other bakeries.
An example is Springfield customers’ interest in spelt muffins and loaves, making them among the most popular offerings at this location but a special-order-only product in Harrison.
The environment cultivated here lends itself well to innovation; employees often pitch new product concepts to Lauren and Clif.
“I’ve warned Clif, ‘You’ve given me too much freedom,’” said Tim Jones, head baker. “He essentially gives me guidelines, like ‘Don’t go this far in one direction; stay in the middle,’ but that’s a wide road. At any point, I can say, ‘Hey, I want to do this.’ And he goes, ‘You know how to do it? OK, do it.’”
In line with its name, Neighbor’s Mill does its milling in-house with a
Meadows Mill Mealmaster 20-inch grain mill, the only bakery in town to do so. Using freshly milled flour maintains consistency across the bakery’s products. The bakery supplements with Farmer Direct Foods’ Prairie Strong bulk flour to retain quality in its baked goods.
“Since switching to Farmer Direct, we’re now 100 percent stone ground through everything we mill as well as the flour that we use,” Clif shared, noting that the switch to stone-milled flour helped stabilize some enzymes that were creating very active doughs.
Neighbor’s Mill goes through about 100 pounds of whole wheat berries from Wheat Montana every other day and about 10-15 pounds a week of rye berries.
Along with milling, the Springfield bakery’s wholesale capacity, which it took on from Harrison, has been a game changer for baker retention. The bakery services 26 wholesale accounts in the Springfield metro area, including restaurants, grocery stores, country clubs and food trucks. This additional aspect of the business supports the staff and
WATCH NOW
Clif Brown dives into the benefits of the bakery’s in-house milling operation.
operation, offering plenty to bake during the week and justifying costs such as oven usage.
“We always have something to bake,” Clif said. “There’s always someone to bake for. We have wholesale customers every day of the week except for Sundays. We’ve tried to grow that business because it’s important to not only be able to pay our bakers but retain them.”
From 6 p.m. to 2 a.m., the back of house comes to life. Within the 950-square-foot kitchen, the team kicks off each shift by scooping muffin and sweet bread doughs made the day before and popping tins into one of three ovens: the Baxter rotating rack oven, the Blodgett Zephair convection oven or the Blodgett 1048 stone deck oven.
Lacey Beach, Neighbor’s Mill bakery manager, communicates the numbers behind what needs to be made for retail and cafe sales to the bakery team around 7 p.m., which then adds those needs to what is queued up for wholesale.
All the while, baguette and sheet pan focaccia doughs that were proofed overnight are sent
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Olivia Siddall | Avant Food Media
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Craft to Crumb Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe
to the oven. The overnight process for baguettes, Tim shared, cultivates a sourer flavor, e ncourages gluten development and extends the bread’s shelf life due to the higher pH.
Tim and Sam Yung, assistant head baker, set the shift’s schedule and — along with other members of the bakery team — portion out ingredients for sponges into two Hobart mixers and a 10-quart Globe mixer. The doughs are then proofed for a couple hours. Using the sponge method provides similar benefits to an overnight proof without creating a too-open crumb or overwhelming sourness, and it makes production quicker and more predictable.
Once the pastries and sweet breads are sorted, the priority shifts to the star of the show: the bread. Doughs hit the bench at 9 p.m., which on any given day can range from eight to 10 different varieties.
Clif likens the bakers’ process to choreography. Each baker knows their cue, and the group moves in sync as dough is tossed from one side of the bench to the other. Across the bench, some bakers shape breads while others put the finishing touches on items for the bakery counter. This consistent routine is key for an operation churning out approximately 300 bread loaves per shift.
Once the breads go into the oven, the team moves to other tasks, with some prepping doughs for the next day and others completing break-
LISTEN NOW
Lauren notes the lessons that have shaped her approach to leadership.
fast items, de-panning bread and separating retail and wholesale products. All the while, music plays and jokes ring out from each corner of the baking bench.
The Springfield bakery stands apart in the community not only for its products but also its culture.
Lauren and Clif’s approach to engaging the team of 55 serves as a nod to her parents’ servant leadership approach, fostering a space that invites growth and creativity.
“We have tried to build a culture of hospitality, which starts with our employees,” Clif said. “We try to never say ‘no’ to them. We try our best to stay on top of everything — which is hard to do as two people — but we try to take care of our team because they are going to take care of our customers.”
One working example of this philosophy is when Tim shared the bakery team’s feedback regarding the shift hours. In response, the owners adjusted the baking hours from a 1-9 a.m. shift to 6 p.m.-2 a.m.,
“[Building a culture] takes a lot of work, and we have to be the ones to define that.”
Lauren Nabors Brown | owner and operator | Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe
Photo by Maddie Lambert | Avant Food Media
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Craft to Crumb Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe
which better fits the bakers’ needs. Additionally, the shop now closes earlier and observes longer holidays to retain staff and prevent burnout. Many employees have been with Neighbor’s Mill for more than four years, or in general manager Holly Weinberg’s case, from the bakery’s start eight years ago.
“I’ve done foodservice pretty much my whole life and when I saw and tasted the product that we made, I was hooked,” Holly shared. “I love small family businesses and realized that this is a great product and business model … We’ve developed such a great culture that I know when I walk in and see our first customer, I’m like, ‘Okay, let’s do this,’ and a lot of our employees feel that way, too.”
What’s flourished at Neighbor’s Mill didn’t just happen overnight. It’s been years in the making.
“It takes a long time to build a culture,” Lauren mused. “It’s not something you think about if you don’t own a business. It takes a lot of work … and we have to be the ones to define that, show it and be the example for a long time.”
Nearing its 10th anniversary, Lauren and Clif are focused on reaching more consumers and expanding its grocery retail presence by selling their house-milled flours and baking mixes in addition to the bakery’s artisan breads.
The pair intend to remain in the mix, all while raising the prospective third generation of Neighbor’s Mill: their daughters, Ally, 12, and
Eliza, 8 months. As their family grows, the team — and culture they’ve built — will enable the couple to step back a bit from the day-to-day grind.
“For the first seven years, we were here every single day, putting in long hours because we felt like we needed to build that culture and environment we wanted to have,” Lauren shared. “Now we’re really lucky that we’re in a good place. We’ve got an awesome staff, so we can actually step away and know that the store is going to be run the way we want it to, with the expectations that we have, with the culture that we’ve built, without us being here.”
Backed by a strong team and a fortified culture, the Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe family has its nose to the grindstone feeding the Springfield community by day and creating in-demand baked goods by night.
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Olivia Siddall | Avant Food Media
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Craft to Crumb Baker Profile | Tim Jones
BAKED WITH LOVE
Tim Jones’ constant curiosity and pure passion for the craft drive him every day.
BY MADDIE LAMBERT
A bread baker’s origin story often starts with being born into the business and funneling the passion down through each generation. So rarely are bakers thrust into the industry by a simple question. But for Tim Jones, head baker at Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe in Springfield, MO, this is exactly the case.
He started his baking career in 2017 as a food runner for Broad Street Baking Co. in Jackson, MS. One day, a customer asked him what leaveners the bakery used in its bread. Unsure of what a leavener even was, Tim directed the customer to someone who had the answer. But that lingering feeling of unfamiliarity irked Tim enough to seek answers of his own.
“I should have known how bread works if I worked at a bakery,” Tim said. “I went to the closest Goodwill store, found a baking textbook from the local college and bought it. I read it from cover to cover.”
Enticed by the process, he bought two more books on bread baking and, again, read both in their entirety. Spurred by his interest, Tim transferred to Broad Street’s baking team later that same year.
LISTEN NOW
Tim Jones shares how he prefers — and thrives in — the chaos of a busy bakery.
Photos by Maddie Lambert
| Avant Food Media
At Broad Street, he practiced several different recipes, discovering that reading about baking is entirely different from the actual process. He was involved in bread production and pastry lamination but grappled with removing himself from the belief that baking was a perfect science.
“Everybody said, ‘Compare baking to chemistry,’” Tim recalled. “But I believe baking is closer to animal handling. You’re working with living organisms — yeast is living — and you’re cultivating it. It’s so temperamental, just like animals. You can train an animal as much as you want, but there’s no guarantee it’s going to do the exact same thing every time.”
In 2020, Tim and his family moved to Springfield, MO, where he stumbled upon Neighbor’s Mill, which had an open position in the bakery. After talking with Clif Brown, one of the bakery’s owners and operators, Tim was hired almost immediately.
“Right place, right time is a perfect phrase for how it happened,” Tim said. “I had just moved to Springfield, but then I walked into the bakery, and Clif interviewed me on the spot. They just so happened to have this vacancy with operations, and it mimicked what I was already trained to do.”
As he grew accustomed to the ins and outs of the Neighbor’s Mill bakery, Tim quickly moved up the ladder, becoming head baker and sole manager of the baking team.
Today, he works hands-on with recipe development and quality control, ensuring every product that goes from the makeup table to bakery case is up to Neighbor’s Mill standards. The owners give Tim the creative liberty to pitch and test different product ideas — whether it be laminated pastries or flavored loaves — to include on the menu.
Of the entire baking process, Tim enjoys the troubleshooting aspect more than anything else. As a baker, he thrives in the chaos of bread production and swears by allowing the dough to lead him, as opposed to the other way around.
Craft to Crumb Baker Profile | Tim Jones
Tim Jones shapes dough for Neighbor’s Mill artisan bagels.
“You can feel the difference, the joyousness, of baking with your hands. There’s a big resurgence right now in hand-crafted bread versus machine-made.”
Tim Jones | head baker | Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe
“Baking is more of an emotional process,” he said. “You have to know your dough, and you have to be intimate with it. No matter how good a baker you may be, if you’re not intimate with that dough, you’re not going to get it right.”
Tim finds daily inspiration from the simple fact that baking bread is one of the few artisanal trades he can do exclusively with his hands. He has a strong belief — and fondness for — baking with love
“You can taste it,” he said. “You can feel the difference, the joyous -
ness, of baking with your hands. There’s a big resurgence right now in hand-crafted bread versus machine-made.”
But even with years of experience to shape his technique, Tim admits he hasn’t perfected it, and he doesn’t have any intention of doing so.
“I don’t think you can ever perfect the craft,” he said. “There is no perfection because if that’s what you’re aiming for, you’re leaning toward mass production. Working here … this is where the magic is.”
to Crumb Product Showcase | Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe
PRODUCT SHOWCASE
01
02
Bread is the star of the show at Neighbor’s Mill Bakery & Cafe. The bakery produces an average of 300 loaves a day using stone-milled flour. Take a look at the premium assortment of breads and sweet goods Neighbor’s Mill offers.
Craft
Craft to Crumb Look | Listen
LOOK | LISTEN
Our multimedia collection features interviews, bakery tours, education, demos and more that give artisan bakers a fresh perspective on industry trends and issues.
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The owner of Breadboard Bakery shares how being a member of the Bread Bakers Guild of America has impacted her trajectory as a baker and bakery owner.
At the Bench with Richard Charpentier and Lisa Somerville
Richard Charpentier, CMB, CEO of Baking Innovation, chats with the co-owner of Vintage Baking Co. about industry trends. Sponsored by Dawn Foods.
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— CLIF BROWN | OWNER AND OPERATOR | NEIGHBOR’S MILL BAKERY & CAFE
Clif dives into how the Neighbor’s Mill bakers work in harmony.
