Uppercrust would not be the bakery it is without the community that supports it. Click on the links below to learn about our friends:
Bread of the Mighty
19.8% of residents in Alachua County are food insecure, or, simply put, do not know where they will get their next meal. Bread of the Mighty is a non-profit food bank that collects, sorts and distributes donated food to food pantries, churches and homeless shelters in Gainesville. They do good work.
Chef Bert Gill
Chef Gill is one of Gainesville’s first and most vocal supporters of the local food economy. His restaurants, Blue Gill, Mildred’s and New Deal Cafe are three of Gainesville’s finest. He also happened to give Ben his first kitchen job. Ben was a terrible employee: too much mayonnaise in the tuna salad; roasted red peppers with seeds left in; never enough washed lettuce for salads; really, really slow; and opinionated besides. It’s a testament to Chef Gill’s generosity that he’s been a supporter all these years.
Chef Byron Terwillegar
Chef Terwillegar is a pro. His connections in the area seem to know no limits, and routinely finds incredible deals on specialty products. His Blue Water Bay is a Melrose institution and one of our area’s best interpretations of old Florida cuisine. He takes equal pride in his catered events, which, besides providing delicious food, can be staggeringly large.
Chef Dean Cacciatore
Chef Cacciatore’s Cacciatore Catering is the premier catering service for the University of Florida. Catering is not easy, and Chef Cacciatore pulls it off with uncommon grace and kindness. It explains his employees who have stayed with him for decades – and his many, many happy clients.
Also, his two sons are extraordinary tennis players. They are on the UF Men’s Tennis Team and started beating Ben pretty badly when they were sixteen (okay, maybe fifteen). Go Gators!
Mark and Steve from Leonardo’s 706
Mark and Steve exhibit the kind of easy comfort that can only come from knowing, deep down, how to make people happy at a restaurant. They’re riotously funny, and generous with their time and hospitality. True elder statesmen of Gainesville’s food and beverage scene.
Cheney Brothers
Finding good broadline food distribution is a fraught but essential business for nearly all, ahem, “food service establishments.” Cheney Brothers Inc., is a privately-held Florida family business. Their offices and warehouses are utilitarian, and their resources go toward the quality, availability and breadth of their products. Our rep, Mike, has also paid out of his pocked the few times we’ve had an order issue.
Doxa Coffee Co.
DOXA is a third-wave coffee shop in Alachua. It is a beautiful space, with drinks that match the consideration we put into the baked goods they serve from us.
Gonzalo Oliva
Gonzalo Oliva has been a wine supplier and distributor with Uppercrust for many years. Many of his selections are our guests’ absolute favorites on the list. He schleps all the way from Jacksonville for many of our Saturday wine tastings, making his charisma and charm all the more winning during those events.
Harvey’s Tomatoes
Harvey’s Tomatoes is *the only* local source for wholesale non-heirloom tomatoes grown the right way (i.e., ripened naturally, without the “aid” of ethylene gas). Their beefsteaks maintain structural integrity through slicing and roasting. And they deliver right to your door! This is a special family-owned company, and Uppercrust couldn’t be more grateful for them.
JF Wine Imports
Jean-Francois (JF) is our wine secret weapon. He himself goes to single-estate vineyards (mostly in France, of course!), and develops decades-long relationships with them. These are wholly unique contacts, and JF becomes their sole distributor to the US through him. Gems, all.
King Arthur Flour
King Arthur Flour is the pre-eminent flour mill and distributor in the country. Their flours are consistent and taste of wheat.
Mayflower Cellars
Mayflower Cellars is Uppercrust’s first wholesale partner. And a true partnership at that. Uppercrust is grateful to bake ciabatta for their fine sandwiches. We *cannot wait* to try the ham they’re making for us from Dave and Ginger’s pigs. Jon, Kerry and Brandon are good people, and Gainesville is lucky to have such passionate, knowledgeable culinarians.
Opici
Opici is a family-run wine distributor based along the Eastern seaboard. Their portfolio includes bottles from every major wine-producing region, and their selections bring great breadth to our list.
Pastured Life
Pastured Life raises pastured, free-range meat and poultry, as well as the eggs and milk from those lovingly reared animals. Uppercrust purchases as much turkey breast as we can from them, and look forward to incorporating their hams into our menu. One taste – one conversation with Dave and Ginger Shields – will make you a believer.
The UF IFAS Meat Extension
UF’s Agricultural Sciences school has a meat market from 9am to 5pm every Friday. From field to store, each step of the process is cared for by future industry leaders. Uppercrust has the distinct pleasure of using their bacon for quiches, and ham when it’s available!
Pascal’s Coffeehouse
Pascal’s achieves the kind of hunker-down comfort coffeehouse dreams are made of. And they care. The containers we use to transport our pastries to the shop are cleaned consistently and thoroughly before returning them to us. It is no surprise that they are intentional with coffee and the warmth with which they serve – a delight just across the street from UF main campus.
Plugra Butter
Uppercrust uses Plugra butter for all our pastries, enriched doughs and croissants. Plugra is a European-style churned butter based in Kansas City, Kansas. It is dense and consistent. It’s awesome.
Rainbow Produce
Rainbow is a local fruit and vegetable supplier located just a little past Satchel’s. Visit the stands Monday-Saturday and support a great local business that spends nearly all its resources on the products themselves.
Stacole
Stacole is the Florida-based branch of the Winebow group, a national wine distributor. Their compendious wine list allows us to provide delicious wines across a spectrum of regions and styles.
The Swamp Restaurant
The Swamp, across the street from UF, is the dining stalwart for nights out, game day viewing, and languorous afternoon meals. They make exactly the kind of food you want them to. They use quality products, like our bread, to exceed expectations in meaningful ways.
Terroir Wine Group
Terroir is a Tampa-based wine distributor that sells wine now to 30 states. That’s not why it’s special to us, though. It’s special because their wine rep with us is Mike. Mike’s awesome. A straight shooter who tells you when something isn’t good, Mike has helped us find more than a few firecrackers.
Wyatt’s Coffee
Wyatt’s is a beautiful little coffee shop in downtown Gainesville. They take coffee and tea as seriously as we do the croissants and scones they serve from us. We are grateful for their partnership.