New bakery, cafe and events space unveiled for Fife food and drink hub

A new bakery, café and events space is set to open at Fife’s food and drink hub, Bowhouse, in Spring 2022.
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And visitors to this month’s Christmas Market Weekend will be given the opportunity to try some of the food out for the first time.

Hazel Powell and Giacomo Pesce will open Baern in March in the striking café and courtyard area of the St Monans venue, offering hyper seasonal, producer-led, locally sourced food and homemade drinks.

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The ever-changing menu will be directly influenced by the producers within the Bowhouse, as well as the surrounding area, showcasing the incredible produce the region has to offer.

Hazel Powell and Giacomo Pesce will open Baern, a new bakery, café and events space, at Bowhouse in March 2022.Hazel Powell and Giacomo Pesce will open Baern, a new bakery, café and events space, at Bowhouse in March 2022.
Hazel Powell and Giacomo Pesce will open Baern, a new bakery, café and events space, at Bowhouse in March 2022.

A daytime menu will run Thursday to Sunday and will be based around sourdough bread, sweet and savoury pastry and a plated brunch/lunch menu.

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An evening menu will run for special events and will focus on a more refined small plate offering. The pair will also offer a deli selection to take away and homemade soft drinks, with everything focused on locally sourced and foraged ingredients.

Pop up suppers and visits from guest chefs also form a part in the plans, with the upstairs area ideally suited to hands-on food workshops and group activities.

Bowhouse Christmas MarketBowhouse Christmas Market
Bowhouse Christmas Market
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Bowhouse’s Christma market weekend is on Saturday and Sunday and Hazel and Giacomo will have a stand at it selling freshly baked breads, scones, pasties, pies and cookies.

The menu at the weekend includes a menu of sourdough focaccias with Rosemary oil, white wine; Nduja, fennel seed and garlic honey; or New potato, purple sage and grape.

Hazel and Giacomo join a line-up of food producers and street food traders from Fife and beyond, as well as a carefully curated selection of craftspeople at this seasonal event.

Hazel and Giacomo are moving to Fife from The Secret Herb Garden Café & Bistro in Edinburgh, where they’ve honed their skills baking and using the produce grown on their doorstep.

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One of the only bakeries in Scotland to operate a true wood fired oven, sourdough baking will be central to Baern’s food, alongside dishes using ingredients produced locally, particularly by those makers based at Bowhouse - Scotland the Bread flours from the mill next door, organic beers and spirits from Futtle, meats from the butchery and organic vegetables from the field just behind the café.

The pair have worked across a number of restaurants and bakeries over the years:

Hazel trained at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland before going on to cook and teach at Ballintaggart in Perthshire. She then went on to be head chef at Fhior Garden Café, where she has been showcasing her love of vegetables through the amazing produce available in the gardens every day.

Formerly a scientist, Giacomo is now a chef and baker with a particular interest in sourdough and all things flour.

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Hazel said: "Giacomo and I cannot wait to open Baern at the Bowhouse.

“We’re both really passionate about Scottish produce, sustainability and supporting small producers, so we really couldn’t be in a better location, or in better company. We can’t wait to join this incredible community of food in Fife."

Baern is named for the café’s barn location with a nod to the ancient Scottish grain, beremeal.

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