Non-Profit Haley House Bakery Cafe Reopens in Roxbury | Eater Boston

"I learned that a non-profit bakery and cafe with a social mission in Roxbury’s Nubian Square has reopened after a yearlong hiatus: Haley House Bakery Cafe, which closed in January 2019, is back. Run by Haley House, a non-profit community organization that provides food and housing support in Roxbury and the South End, the bakery is currently operating with limited hours (Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m.) and plans to expand its hours on February 1. The cafe closed last year because neighborhood changes made its original business model unsustainable, but leadership restructured with a renewed focus on serving the Roxbury community through vibrant, community-driven programming and supportive employment opportunities; Bing Broderick, Haley House’s executive director, said they had to make hard decisions to deepen and expand impact, especially around employment and training for people facing barriers. With consulting help from Joe Grafton of ReThink Restaurants and board member Irene Li (co-owner of Mei Mei), the team adopted open-book management so every staff member is fully trained on restaurant operations and financials, and the current team completed the first intensive training session so future hires will also participate in critical decision-making. The cafe hired Misha Thomas—who has deep Roxbury roots and managerial experience at Mooncusser Fish House, South End Buttery, and Area Four—as general manager; Thomas, influenced by time in Ghana, parts of the Caribbean, and fine-dining, helped update the menu (with contributions from Kristin Simone, who redesigned the interior, and Ricardo Monroy, who helps run the youth cooking program Take Back the Kitchen), and while the bakery is on limited hours the current menu will closely resemble the full menu planned for rollout on February 1, so diners can stop by to sample the new offerings." - Terrence Doyle