Omer and Hava , along with his son Amit, they settled three years ago in Valencia after emigrating from Israel in search of new opportunities and a suitcase full of projects.
It was in July 2020 when they opened at number 7 of Carrer Josep Mestre Serrano –just 200 meters from the iconic Ruzafa Market– this little bakery where crispy sourdough loaves are baked every morning and a large selection of products that delight all palates, both sweet and savory.
A special oven, one of those that make a difference due to its history, trajectory and gastronomic offer. Thanks to this marriage it is a reality to serve challah bread every morning at our table at home, take a pretzel, a bagel or one Focaccia to have lunch or close the day with a sambusak of eggplant, a cheese and mushroom pizza or a sandwich served on olive or pumpkin bread.
The best? They only sell vegetarian and vegan options. Because it is possible to advance in respect for animals and an example of this is Baker.
Omer and Hava, the creators of The Baker.
FROM ISRAEL TO VALENCIA, AND KEEP BAKING
The decision to open this oven was already in the minds of our protagonists from the first moment they set foot in Valencia three years ago. They had to wait some time later to make that dream a reality.
A little before the arrival of the pandemic they had already made the decision to open for May 2020, but the months of confinement and two more of works for the reform, they were forced to delay their great adventure.
Finally arrived in July 2020 on a street in the central neighborhood of Ruzafa and in a small place with a large window from where you can see all the products carefully placed on the counter that invite customers to go inside with little time to think if they really need it sourdough bread, rugelach of chocolate or the Focaccia shift.
But what else? It's always a good time to give a good tribute.
The Baker smells like feeds.
With a history of ten years behind him baking both in Israel and in Valencia, Omer is the great artificer of everything that is prepared daily in The Baker's workshop. His wife Hava is in charge of offering an attentive service to the public and make some of the most accurate recommendations in terms of bread or all kinds of snacks.
"Although the beginning was hard, like any start when starting a new business, after a year and a half of experience -including the strictest measures of the pandemic during 2020/2021-, We couldn't be happier with the reception of the neighborhood and right now we are in one of our best moments. And we hope it will continue like this during the next 2022 and the rest of the years that are yet to come”, Omer and Hava tell Condé Nast Traveler excitedly.
“The neighborhood has been turned upside down and both locals and tourists do not hesitate to stop by our store to taste some of our most special proposals”, they add.
The key to its success? The differentiation with respect to other ovens in the city, since they are its flavors from the Middle East and other parts of the globe those that star in a large part of its gastronomic repertoire.
“The Baker differs from other bakeries in that we offer products that perhaps are not so common to see on a day-to-day basis. We believe that little by little we are opening both the minds and the palates of our clientele to a more vegetarian type of consumption and with proposals from different parts of the world. And that's a real wonder," say Omer and Hava.
The Baker: A (vegan) trip to the Middle East.
BEING VEGAN OR VEGETARIAN IS NO LONGER THE FUTURE, IT IS THE PRESENT
This is how we find a large assortment of breads ranging from classic bread, dried tomato bread, cheese bread, onion bread, pumpkin bread, olive bread, wholemeal bread, rye bread, among others.
And of course those that for them know home: challah bread and pita bread. These are two of the most traditional options both in Israel and in the Jewish gastronomic imagination.
In the words of those responsible for The Baker: “All our breads are made with sourdough and are made without sugar and without yeast. There is also no milk, no butter; only flour, oil and the rest of the vegetable ingredients that we include such as pumpkin, tomato or olives. So all our breads are vegan, except the cheese bread”, they announce.
Pretzel, bagel or focaccia? Impossible to choose!
"The focaccia and the bagel they are also vegan. And we are currently working on being able to also offer vegan sweets. At the moment the rest of our products are vegetarian”, they add.
The loaves give way to different types of focaccia such as cherry tomato, mushroom or rosemary. The traditional NY bagel is recommended to open and spread with Philadelphia cheese. Also Turkish recipes like borekites of cheese, the Lebanese pita zafar bread or the famous rugelach, a typical Jewish sweet from Poland and Israel which is presented in the form of a croissant and is usually filled with chocolate, walnuts, pistachio... a true bane for sweet lovers!
"Omer has a special talent and everything he makes is wonderful"
THE BAKER, AT HOME OR IN SOME OF THE CITY'S CUTTING-EDGE RESTAURANTS
In addition to being able to buy it at home, Omar and Hava have also taken it upon themselves to offer their delicatessen to restaurants located in different parts of Valencia. The first was Kukla and behind this restaurant specializing in Middle Eastern cuisine -owner of a Solete Repsol since last November 2021-, others such as Brunch Corner, Holbox, Baalbec, beGreen…
“The first restaurant we started working with was Kukla whose menu is based on Middle Eastern cuisine and they did not hesitate to order our challah breads and pita bread for their culinary repertoire. After trying us out at Kukla and seeing us on our Instagram, other restaurants or venues have joined us. and they have decided to count on us to insert our breads or sweets in their menus. And that is wonderful, because that helps us and they give us visibility to continue growing in Valencia” , say Omer and Hava.
Vegan flavors full of tradition and history.
From Kukla, he only has positive words for The Baker: “Since we opened the restaurant, we were clear from the beginning of the importance of offering authentic ingredients and dishes linked to the gastronomy of the Middle East. Omer has a special talent and everything he makes is wonderful, so we don't hesitate to work with him”, they say from Kukla.
“Omer and Hava put as much love as possible into their products, in addition to using optimal ingredients and the best production techniques. Both form a very successful tandem, with a combination of talents offering professionalism and good service. What more can you ask for?”, they add.
From here we can only second his words. It's time to welcome The Baker in our lives, they have not hesitated to reinterpret the word 'oven' and the result has been everything a most enriching discovery.
The Baker: from Israel to Valencia.