Sugaree Baking Co. will reopen in Dogtown on Friday, Sept. 22

Sugaree Baking Co. will reopen for retail business on Friday, Sept. 22, under its new owners, Megan and Derrick Cobb. The bakery has been closed to retail customers since the end of 2022, but Friday will see the Cobbs open the doors once again at 1242 Tamm Ave. in Dogtown, the location Sugaree has called home for over 20 years.

After a successful soft opening last weekend, Sugaree is ready to return for its grand reopening weekend from Sept. 22 to 24. Starting with the grand reopening, Sugaree will open three days a week, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. Online ordering will close at 1 p.m. every Wednesday for pickup on the weekend, but walk-in customers are welcome to come and grab their favorite Sugaree cakes, pies, cookies, brioche, quiche and more.

Megan Cobb said that the goal is to offer essentially everything that Sugaree previously offered, but the menu will be rotated initially. However, Cobb invited customers to make requests for any Sugaree favorites they don’t see on the menu or in the bakery. “We’re just slowly building on our menu, but we are all ears, so if people want to have something, all they have to do is reach out and we’ll see if we can make it happen,” she said.

The Cobbs also own another Dogtown business, Sweet Em’s Coffee & Ice Cream, located at 6330 Clayton Ave. A few items from Sweet Em’s are now also on the menu at Sugaree, including cinnamon rolls and Sweet Em’s Oa’rounds, which are oatmeal muffins with various toppings – this week’s offerings include honey-cinnamon and chocolate chip. “It’s a gluten-conscious choice that is pretty popular for breakfast and dessert,” Megan Cobb said. “And the cinnamon roll is just delicious!”

Sugaree’s founders, Pat Rutherford-Pettine and Jimmy Pettine, opened the bakery in 1996. They decided to close the bakery for retail at the end of 2022, but continued to accept wholesale orders and host holiday pop-ups until the Cobbs’ purchase of Sugaree was announced in July. Rutherford-Pettine and Pettine have been helping the Cobbs with the transition and will continue to offer help as the new owners take on the mantle of keeping the Sugaree legacy going. “Pat and Jimmy have been very helpful with any questions,” Cobb said.

Cobb confessed to some nerves ahead of the opening, but said that with the soft opening behind them, she’s confident that she and Derrick are ready to open Sugaree’s next chapter. “It's very exciting,” she said. “Everybody has been so nice and so welcoming, this gratitude that they have shown just for us keeping this legacy alive has just kind of fueled us into being here today.”