- September 7, 2024
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A new bakery and cafe is opening soon in Ormond Beach's downtown district.
Uncommon Grain, located at 11 W. Granada Blvd., is aiming to conduct a soft-opening next week. The bakery will offer fresh breads, pastries, artisan sandwiches and, eventually, smoothies. A grand opening date will be announced in the near future.
The new business is a venture between partners Sergio Faenza and Brandon Sheppard, who own restaurant 63 Sovereign, located nearby at 63 W. Granada Blvd. Being familiar with the downtown already, Faenza said they saw a chance expand food options within the corridor for the community. The building at 11 W. Granada Blvd. had been vacant since Cakery Creations closed a couple years ago.
"We saw an opportunity to expand upon our abilities at Sovereign to bake some goods for the restaurant, as well as create a new little storefront space for the community," Faenza said.
Plus, they like a good sandwich — so they want to bring that to the community as well.
Uncommon Grain has been in the works for a little over a year, Faenza said. This was in part due to preparing the building for the new business and because the pair were also expanding 63 Sovereign.
For Uncommon Grain, Sheppard said they wanted to make the space more open and take advantage of the natural light.
"And showcase the building that's been here for an extremely long time," he said.
Inside the store is a mural of a historic photo showing the downtown corridor in the 1900s. The building at 11 W. Granada Blvd. was built in 1925, according to the Volusia County Property Appraiser's website.
Faenza said they're trying to cater to people who are in the downtown on a routine basis, whether they work in the area, are walking the bridge or enjoying the parks and other businesses. They're excited about the sandwich recipes their baker has created — as well as their homemade raspberry Pop-Tart and cheese danishes.
There's not many locally-owned places where people can stop and grab pastries or breakfast items in town, Sheppard said. The chain eateries' offerings are good, he said, but he missed being able to get a fresh, homemade cheese danish on his way to work.
"As soon as we started this concept and we hired Danielle (the baker), my first to her was, 'Can you make a cheese danish?'" Sheppard said. "... She was fortunately able to recreate a much, much better of what I anticipated."
Faenza and Sheppard decided to name their bakery Uncommon Grain because they eventually hope to offer just that: uncommon breads and ethnic cuisine inspired sides and sandwiches.
"We're just a couple of local guys that are interested in providing experiences for our community," Faenza said. "We enjoy the industry and we hope that we establish a longterm footing in the downtown area."
Uncommon Grain's opening hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The bakery will be closed on Sundays.
