For all of the questions I get about where to eat and where to go and what to try, the one thing I am asked about rather infrequently are bakeries. There might be a couple of reasons for that. First of all, to anyone outside of Chatham County, you would think we only had one bakery within city limits. Back in the Day Bakery is that bakery of note in Savannah. It’s practically all anyone talks about when they are planning to visit our area. Don’t get me wrong, Cheryl and Griff Day’s following is incredibly deserved. They set up shop in the Starland District over a decade ago and have done nothing but pay dues and put out a great product ever since. A couple of months ago, Back in the Day was named a Semi-Finalist for a James Beard Award. This country’s highest honor for food. Very well deserved. But would you ever visit a city and think there is only one place to have a good sandwich? Only one place to have a great burger? One spot to enjoy a spectacular cocktail? No, of course not. There are some other bakeries in this city doing a fine job. I am fan of a number of them, but for the purpose of this time we have together, I am going to tell you all about the new kid on the block. Mattie Belle’s Bakery, just off of the intersection of Eisenhower and Waters Avenue, Midtown Savannah.
“I had a mid-life crisis”, says Lisa Moore, owner and baker at Mattie Belle’s. “I turned fifty and decided I want to do something I enjoy.” So she opened a bakery. It wasn’t that easy, actually. After quite a number of years working in all facets of the restaurant business, she says she knew she wanted to do something with food. She spent a good bit of time discussing it with her husband and daughter, but she says the light bulb came on a while back on an otherwise lazy Sunday afternoon with her family. “We like to go to Barnes and Noble on the weekends”, she said. “And I was standing in the cookbook section and it hit me. Bakery!” Her daughter thought she was kidding, but she wasn’t.
“I wrote the business plan, and here we are.”
If it was only that easy, right? Location was a huge part of this equation for Lisa. “We spent almost 2 years looking for the right space. We looked everywhere.”
They settled on a space in a desperately-in-need-of-a-makeover strip mall off of Eisenhower and Waters. You’ve likely driven passed it a few million times. I’m guessing here not too many of you have had a reason to stop. Well, now you do. “My husband first suggested this spot a while back and I said no way”, Lisa says. “But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. I knew I wanted to be Midtown.”
One of the things I found interesting with Lisa’s approach is her lack of a real sweet tooth, which is interesting when you are opening a bakery. “I don’t have a big sweet tooth. I think cupcakes can be too sweet and sugary. I like to taste things other than sugar.” That was evident in the very first thing I sampled at Mattie Belle’s. It was a chocolate chip cookie. Big deal, right? Of course. But this cookie was different, right off the bat. It was a chocolate chip, dried cherry, and sea salt cookie. Not overly sweet. At all. That was the first thing that jumped out at me. That was just one bite. She also makes an Apple Carrot Cake that is more loaf than traditional slice cake. It’s fantastic as well, and again, not overly sweet. Raspberry Cheesecake Mousse, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and several other items fill the display case. Everything I tried was wonderful. This is definitely worth a stop, especially if you enjoy a taste of something sweet after lunch but not overly so. Or, you can just make a point to have lunch at Mattie Belle’s. She has any number of sandwiches and salads available, and a daily soup. The day I was there it was Thai Carrot. The passion and time she’s investing in this venture is pretty obvious. There is also the demand for perfection. “If it is not right when we are making it, we toss it and start over.” Being perfect all the time is tough, but if you are enjoying the ride in the process, then who cares, right? Quick Program note, we are taking you inside Mattie Belle’s this Sunday, 7:30am on WSAV-TV.
“This is the first time in my life I feel like I’m doing what I am supposed to be doing.”
There are some great bakeries in our city. Chances are you already have a favorite. But the next time you are in this neighborhood, don’t be afraid to stop off and visit Mattie Belle’s. Named for Lisa’s grandmother, who undoubtedly would be very proud.
See you on TV.
Jesse
