After months of anticipation, Mr. Holmes Bakehouse officially opens today at 248 N. Larchmont Blvd., formerly Village Footwear. Earlier this week, the Buzz got a few minutes to chat with 25 year-old founder Aaron Caddel, who opened his first bakery in San Francisco in 2014.
“I grew up in Redlands and moved to San Francisco in 2012, where I opened a coffee shop,” said Caddel. “So much was happening in the food industry with coffee and I decided I wanted to bring that innovation and creativity to pastry.”
While he’s not a baker, Caddel certainly appreciates the fine art of baking exquisite-looking pastry. He also understands the science and technique, and he described how important it is to laminate the croissants so they look just right at the end of the lengthy baking process.
According to Caddel, he has a great team of bakers who have helped him create unique pastries that combine flavors, like his cream-filled donut with a touch of Yuzu (it’s a collaboration with down-the-street neighbor Sweetfin Poké), or his own riff on a “California roll” – a croissant filled with smoked salmon, ginger, wasabi and nori, topped with black and white sesame seeds. (I confess, I was curious to try it…being a traditionalist when it comes to croissants. It was very good!).
The menu is full of items both savory and sweet, with prices range from $3 – $5. Caddel’s most famous creation is the “Cruffin,” which comes in a variety of flavors and changes daily.
In fact, everything changes. That’s part of the fun for Caddel, who brings his infectious enthusiasm for “all butter everything” and wildly celebrates carbohydrates!
“We will make deliveries three times a day,” said Caddel. There’s no baking on the Larchmont premises, but Caddel promises you will find something that has been baked that same day at their bakery in Highland Park.
Caddel said he is thrilled to be a Larchmont.
“Larchmont is an awesome street,” said Caddel, who said he was excited about bringing back the craftsmanship and tradition of a small bakery to the street. He told the Buzz he first looked at the street in 2015, but no space was available. Larchmont is his fourth bakery in California, with others in Highland Park, San Francisco and Orange County. He also has four bakeries in Korea.
Caddel is the founder and CEO. He has investors providing the financial backing to help him expand his network of highly stylized bakeries with fun neon signs, different in each location, targeted to millennials and offering instagrammable settings to share pastries on social media.
But if you’re not a millennial, don’t be intimidated by the fun factor. Check out the pastry — it’s a loving homage to the art of butter and baking.
Who knows…Mr. Holmes Bakehouse may just be the modern day successor to Larchmont’s beloved Van De Kamp’s Bakery of yesteryear.
By the way, “Mr. Holmes” is the name of a friend’s cat.
