Sweet Treats Pop Up In Hamden

Adrienne Kane on a recent Sunday. Lucy Gellman Photos.

A small mountain of baked goods had popped up among the shelves of DVDs at Best Video. There were buttermilk biscuits with everything bagel seasoning; bright lemon shortbread with a swish of glaze, rice krispie treats made with brown butter and just enough salt. On a lone kolache biscuit, a dab of strawberry compote glowed ruby red atop tangy-sweet cream cheese. 

Those treats are the sugar-and-salt kissed brainchild of Adrienne Kane, the baker behind Itty Bitty Bakery CT. A food writer, educator and culinary artist, Kane started the microbakery out of her Hamden kitchen, where she still operates as a cottage food business, in 2021. This spring, she will celebrate a year of Sunday pop-ups at Best Video Film and Cultural Center and a still-new partnership with East Rock Breads in New Haven. For her, it's part of how she shows up in the community. 

"I've always baked a ton," she said during a pop-up, her hand hovering over a square of shortbread with a blush-colored glaze. “And always with a twist."

The idea for the business came from Kane's knack for experimenting in the kitchen. Growing up in California, Kane started baking when she was young, inspired largely by the matriarchs in her family. Her grandmother, Keitha Bullock, taught her to make magic out of fruit and crust, inspiring a lifelong love for tinkering (and an annual celebration of rhubarb season).

As Kane made her way from the West Coast to New York and then New Haven, her interest bloomed into a career. In 2012, she published United States of Pie, a collection of pie recipes and anecdotes pulled from across the country. Then in 2014, she published United States of Bread, celebrating America's long-held—and somewhat ignored—tradition of bread baking. 

She began teaching a course on bread at Gateway Community College, guiding students in the Culinary Arts Certificate Program from crust to crumb. In 15 years, she built a life in greater New Haven, moving to Hamden six years ago.  

But she found herself wishing for bakeries that rivaled her years in Manhattan and Northern California. Yeast- and coffee-scented storefronts like Whole G and East Rock Breads—now two of her favorites—didn't exist yet. While the landscape has bloomed in the years since,  "I still felt like there were pockets to fill," she said. So she began to churn out recipes of her own.

By 2021, Kane's Instagram was filled with images of her sweet creations, from tidy, almond-topped tea cakes and craggy scones to stone fruit pies with sugar-dusted lattices and buttery golden crusts. There were cakes decorated with clouds of whipped cream and confetti-like, freeze-dried berries, airy sourdough popovers, rhubarb done at least three different ways  Occasionally, a confection celebrating her son would appear, tracking his birthdays and first days of school in multicolored sprinkles and tarts bursting with summer produce. 

From her home in Hamden, she also started offering small-batch special orders, a routine she still keeps with holiday boxes and near-weekly challah bakes before Shabbat. Then last year, she approached Best Video about a pop-up in the store. Matt Elliott, who manages the spot's cafe, loved the idea and passed it on to Executive Director Julie Smith. For Smith, it was a no-brainer. 

"We love having Itty Bitty at Best Video!" she said in a text message, noting the importance of the organization as a "third place" that can help combat social isolation. "Supporting local small businesses is one of the many ways that we fulfill our mission as a cultural center ... our small businesses are the very fiber of our community tapestry and they are the places that make our 'hometown' a home." 

Kane started vending last April, with a small chalkboard sign that announced the pop-up and checkered red tablecloth that became her trademark. Almost a year in, the microbakery has become a Sunday morning staple at Best Video, where handfuls of Hamdenites linger at the tables with their coffees and sunlight pools on the carpet. 

"I feel really positive," Kane said. Some of her favorite bakes have included chocolate chunk and tahini-halva cookies, the edges thin and crisp, oatmeal raisin scones, and breakfasty muffins packed with seeds and fruit."I've met some really wonderful people, and been able to experiment." 

The feeling is mutual among her patrons, some who come frequently and others who are discovering the bakery for the first time. Hamdenite Patti Cespedes stopped in to get a coffee when she saw the last kolache biscuit calling out to her, and struck up a conversation with Kane. Three minutes later she was leaving, a small paper bag crinkling in her hand. 

On her way out the door, she said she was excited to try something new—and would likely be back for another pop-up soon.

John and Dexter O'Rourke.

That was also true for father and son John and Dexter O'Rourke, who stopped in for the first time and quietly debated which treats to bring home before choosing one of each.

John, who works as the director of CommuniCare, had spotted a post for the pop-up on Instagram and wanted to know more. Dexter, fresh off sleeping over at a friend's house, was excited to try something new.  

“It’s fantastic!” John said. “It’s a nice treat.” 

"Oh, I love it," Dexter added. "It's amazing that all these small businesses work together too."