As Kneaded Bakery Grand Opening This Weekend

WHAT:     As Kneaded Bakery Grand Opening
WHEN:     Saturday November 3, & Sunday November 4, 2018 – 10AM-5PM on both days
WHERE:   585 Victoria Court, San Leandro

In 2016, after spending years on both coasts perfecting her craft, Bay Area native Iliana Berkowitz started her own bread business – As Kneaded Bakery. The bakery started as a pop-up business and subscription program, baking her savory breads in a commercial kitchen in San Mateo. Eventually, she expanded her business to include wholesale accounts and farmers’ markets.

In the past, San Leandrans were able to enjoy Iliana’s breads via the “bread club” subscription service or, if lucky enough, when Zocalo Coffee happened to have leftover loaves at the end of the day. More recently, breads have been available at Estudillo Produce, and in Downtown San Leandro, Sons of Liberty Alehouse also incorporates As Kneaded Bakery’s products into its everyday menu. As Kneaded Bakery’s breads are robust, wholesome, and rich in savory flavor.

Since 2016, Iliana has been transporting her breads from the commercial kitchen in San Mateo to destinations all over the bay. A San Leandro resident, however, Iliana found that arrangement to be cumbersome and time-consuming, and began looking for opportunities in her own neck of the woods. Last year, Iliana signed a long-term lease for the vacant space at 585 Victoria Court (a prior location for Blue Dish Catering) and has been making improvements to it for the past several months. With significant investment, including importing an exclusive gas-fired bread oven from Italy, along with support from the City’s Restaurant Incentive program, Iliana has transformed the space into a quaint and inviting East Coast-style bakery.

Now, on November 3 and 4, Iliana and her crew are thrilled to announce the grand opening of As Kneaded Bakery’s first stand-alone bakery at 585 Victoria Court right here in San Leandro. Early birds will get free challah buns (100 given away each day), there will be free samples of all breads all day long, Wheely’s  Cafe San Leandro will pop up from 9:30AM until 2PM with pour-over coffee service, and of course there will be an abundance of delicious bread for sale, including some brand new products! There will also be a bread pun-off with prizes for the wittiest winners! The highly anticipated arrival of the dedicated location has already garnered media interest – on October 22, Eater San Francisco published this delightful article which predicts that As Kneaded Bakery is “sure to become the envy of surrounding East Bay cities.” Once open, the bakery will be open to walk-in business on Saturdays and Sundays from 10AM until 5PM. Depending on community response and demand, As Kneaded Bakery will entertain extending those hours to weekdays as well. So, stop by and buy a loaf or three!