An Irish Goodbye to the Emerald Bakery

This past weekend I had to say goodbye (for now) to some of the greatest people I have met in my life. Mike (Mick) and Mary were the owners of a small Irish bakery in my town. I always used to go to the bakery as a little kid when my father would get rye bread on Saturday mornings. When I turned 16, my friend Brennan (who worked at the Emerald Bakery) introduced me to Mike and Mary and they gave me a job. As a food lover, this was the perfect job for me.

Mike and Mary were Irish. Really Irish. And they were impossible not to love. Some of the best laughs of my life occurred in the back of that bakery, they certainly had fine humor. Their nephew James ( @cneck ) came over from Ireland a few times to work and help Mike and Mary, it was great to meet him and although we live an ocean away, we have become good friends ever since.

The Emerald Bakery lasted over 2 decades but unfortunately due to the changing times it suffered over the last few years. Not as many people get their bread from the local bakeries these days, super market retail giants are taking all of the customers. Although the Emerald Bakery had award winning Rye Bread they were no match for the cheap alternative that was sitting right next door. Unfortunately due to these circumstances, the Emerald Bakery closed it's doors a couple months back and Mike & Mary will be taking their kids back to live a life in Ireland.

I definitely plan to visit once they get settled, but it is sad to see them go. When I first started working, their oldest son Ben was basically a toddler. Now he is approaching his early teens. I can remember the Christmas Eve shift when Mike & Mary announced they were having a set of twins. Now Kevin and Aiden are probably 6 or 7 years old. They will thrive in Ireland, they have it in their blood.

We gathered at Duffy's Tavern ( http://www.duffystavern.net/ ) on Saturday to bid Farewell to these awesome people as they go off on their journey back to Ireland. Duffy's used to buy Emerald Bakery's Irish Brown Bread and serve it with their meals, now they will have to make it themselves. It is classic little Irish pub with some good grub and cold beer.

Here are some photo's from our last hoorah at Duffy's:

A Picture of Mick !

He seems very pleased to have his picture taken.

Paul ( @kirmit ) & Susie, my fellow co-workers & friends

I think they found love working together at the Emerald Bakery... but I don't want to speak too soon ;)

Shepherd's Pie

An Irish delicacy. Layers of ground beef, corn, carrots and celery topped with mashed potatoes, and finished with a savory brown gravy. We all ordered Shepherd's Pie because it was certainly the thing to do.

Me with Brennan & Mick

Brennan is the one that got me a job at the Emerald Bakery. Mick making another face for the picture.

It was a fun time and I can't wait to see everyone again.

Here is a series of photo's I gathered throughout the years. Some of these were taken with old cameras so they are not quite sharp, but it is good to see some of the tasty things Emerald's has made.

Here is a picture of me back in the day.

I was working the counter at a satellite store of the Emerald Bakery in a town called Hamden.

Front of the Emerald Bakery in 2012

Look at those delicious loaves of bread on the rack in the background. I am truly going to miss it.

The Coffee Rack

Working at the Emerald Bakery is what introduced me to the wonders of coffee. I had to wake up very early to work the 5 AM shifts on some weekends and that is where I became good friends with coffee.

A Pilgrim Cake for Thanksgiving

Mary made this cool Pilgrim cake for Thanksgiving.

Inside the Emerald Bakery

Here are some cakes, I absolutely loved the Boston Creme Pie's!

Aiden Working the Register at a Young Age

He is quickly becoming head honcho of the family

Zeppole's! Italian Creme filled Pastries

These are Zeppole's also known as St. Joseph's Day Pastries. Although Emerald's was an Irish specialty bakery, they also made some amazing Italian pastries like these and cannoli's. If I never worked at the Emerald Bakery I would never know that these existed.

Check out the Emerald Bakery on the News:

Over the years, Emerald's was featured on News Channel 8 many times for their Irish soda bread and tasty holiday treats. Here are a few clips that I found uploaded to YouTube.

Here is what's left of Emerald Bakery:

Peaking in from the outside window, it was a tough sight to see. I had incredible memories from my time at this place and I hate to see it go.

The Emerald Bakery Website is still up if you want to check it out:
http://www.emerald-bakery.com/

Thank You Emerald Bakery

I will never forget all of the awesome memories and amazing food. I would not be who I am today without my time spent working at this place and being around these people. I am very sad to see them go but I hope it is all for the best and everything works out well.

Sláinte, my friends

until next time

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