The Story Behind Bakehouse, Coming Soon to 14th and T

From Rachel Nania. Check out her blog, Sear, Simmer & Stir. Follow Nania on Twitter @rnania, email her at rachel[AT]borderstan.com. 

Lindsey Morse began baking about five years ago when she and her husband, Niall Cooper, relocated to the South Georgia Islands in the southern Atlantic Ocean, just north of Antarctica.

While living and working on the remote British territory, Morse and Cooper (along with the island’s residents) received food and supplies from routine shipments.

“We really had to learn to do things ourselves,” said Cooper, who explained that only essentials were delivered to the island. “We even had to bake our own bread, and we eventually started baking for others on the island.”

Morse and Cooper came to the District about two years ago, and despite having more food and supplies available, they haven’t stopped baking.

“We discovered that we really enjoyed baking and working together,” said Cooper.

The couple eventually started a brand for their baked goods, known as Bakehouse, and started selling their products at local markets in DC. But about a year ago, Morse and Cooper started to seriously consider opening their own space to bake and sell their goods.

The duo spent time searching for the perfect location, and eventually decided on an empty lot on 14th and T Streets NW, a space that actually needed a building to fill-in an empty space just to the east of the now-vacant old Post Office building.

“Moving into a location where there was a previous restaurant would have been easier, but we thought it was better to spend the extra time to build and get the location we wanted,” said Cooper.

Building the bakery from the ground up has also given the Bakehouse owners the ability to customize the layout and design of the new 1,100 square foot space.

Cooper explained that the interior of the bakery will be “light, bright and modern” with contemporary furniture and light-colored walls. Focal pieces of the new space will include a large chalkboard to display the constantly changing and seasonal menu, and a maple coffee table, handmade by a friend of the couple.

Bakehouse will seat roughly 14 people inside and will have a “good amount” of outdoor seating (Cooper estimates the outdoor space will hold another 10 patrons). However, Cooper predicts a large amount of the traffic will be takeout.

The menu will feature breakfast, lunch and dessert items, including a wide array of muffins, breakfast sandwiches (on a homemade English muffin) scones, cakes, candies, cupcakes, paninis and salads. Bakehouse will also offer coffee and specialty drinks from Zeke’s Coffee, a small roaster based in Baltimore.

Like other establishments along the night-life-based 14th Street corridor, Bakehouse plans on staying open late – well, later than most bakeries and coffee shops.

“The area is such a restaurant Mecca,” said Cooper, who explained that he wants to stay open after dinner so that people can pop in for a post-meal sweet.

Bakehouse will be open Monday-Thursday from 7 am until 9 pm, Friday from 7 am until 11 pm, Saturday from 8 am until 11 pm and Sunday from 8 am until 9 pm.

As of now, Morse and Cooper are planning for a January soft launch opening, with a grand opening in February.

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