Sugaree Baking Co. will reopen in Dogtown this summer under new ownership

Sugaree Baking Co. will reopen this summer at 1242 Tamm Ave. in Dogtown, following the purchase of the long-running bakery by new owners Megan and Derrick Cobb. The Cobbs aim to have the bakery open again by late August.

Sugaree’s original owners, Pat Rutherford-Pettine and Jimmy Pettine, closed the bakery for retail customers at the end of 2022, ending a 23-year run in that location. However, they have continued offering wholesale orders throughout 2023, as well as hosting pop-ups for Mother’s Day and Easter.

“I feel really great about selling this business to the Cobbs,” said Pat Rutherford-Pettine in a statement. “They’re Dogtown people, they’re keeping the name Sugaree, they’re keeping all the same recipes, and they’re even planning to do all the fun window displays we’re known for.”

The Cobbs also own another Dogtown business, Sweet Em’s Coffee & Ice Cream, located at 6330 Clayton Ave. “I've actually known Pat and Jimmy for a very long time,” said Megan Cobb. “They did my wedding cake 10 years ago, and when Sweet Em’s first opened, which was in 2018, we didn’t have our kitchen operational, so we bought products from Sugaree when we first became established.”

Rutherford-Pettine and Pettine will continue to help out in the bakery to ensure the transition is as smooth as possible. “They’ll be with us for a while,” Cobb said. “I want to make sure that we are operating in the same ways that they had and maintaining the recipes, making sure that whatever we do is up to their standard.”

Cobb said loyal Sugaree customers will find all their favorites back on the menu, from pies, cakes and quiche to brioche, cookies, whoopie pies and ice-cream sandwiches. The bakery will also ease back into accepting orders for wedding cakes and other custom cake orders, which have traditionally been in high demand. The Cobbs also plan to collaborate with local restaurants, and they are already gearing up to meet the demand for Thanksgiving pies.

The new owners say they’re delighted to have the opportunity to keep Sugaree in Dogtown and take the bakery forward for the next generation. “There’s a very high standard that we need to live up to, but I think when it comes down to it, we love food, and we love taking care of people,” Cobb said. “We're excited to get started and we hope that we live up to the Sugaree name and brand.”