Many residents of the Raleigh area seek out delicious food, beautiful scenery and a strong sense of community. Fortunately, Yellow Dog Bread Company is an establishment that sets out to provide customers all three.
Yellow Dog Bread Company is a bakery owned by Tanya Andrews which she runs along with her husband, Matthew Andrews. Despite the business’s success, the desire to start it came only recently for Andrews. Once she and her husband filled out their bucket list, they themselves wanting something more.
“My husband and I were followed the standard procedure,” Andrews said. “Graduate college, buy a house, get a golden retriever, and when we were done we didn’t feel quite as fulfilled as we thought, so we started exploring what that really meant for us.”
During this time period, Andrews picked up baking as a hobby, even going so far as to buy her own chickens to supply eggs for their increasingly complicated recipes.
“We went down that route of baking for a while,” Andrews said. “Family and friends started giving us feedback and encouragement. Then we decided taking this more seriously would be a cool thing to explore, so we started dreaming up what it’d look like for us to own our own business.”
After this, Andrews and her husband quit their jobs and starting renting out their home so they could fully devote themselves to baking. After five and a half years, Yellow Dog Bread Co. opened its doors on East Franklin Street for the first time and has shared its array of bread, brioche buns and other pastries ever since.
Yellow Dog’s interior is illuminated by natural light pouring in through 6-foot windows every second the bakery is open. Their size and the establishment’s proximity to the downtown Raleigh parks ensures customers have a lovely view whether they dine inside or outdoors. The bakery has an atmosphere that perfectly complements its aesthetic.
Yellow Dog’s name was inspired by the couple’s golden retriever, Ellie. Andrews stated that the identity she wanted for Yellow Dog was formed during their hikes with Ellie in the woods.
“When we were trying to come up with a name for our business we thought about what that meant and our time with her and who she meant to us in our life,” Andrews said. “When we thought about what we wanted to be as a business, we realized that those qualities paralleled what she was to us; she loved unconditionally, she was faithful and she was genuine.”
The menu items at Yellow Dog take on the quality of genuineness Andrews mentioned. Every pastry is made from scratch and has its own bold flavor. Favorites, such as the brownies and pecan cinnamon rolls, taste as though they built upon famous European recipes and stay fresh for days at a time. The proportions of each coupled with the deliciousness ensure customers get their money’s worth.
“There’s a lot happening in the world,” Andrews said. “We don’t need to add to the burden with coffee and pastries.”
Yellow Dog has become a beloved lunch spot for Raleigh residents, especially those in the downtown area. One resident, Julia Henderson, tasted its pastries at the Raleigh Maker’s Market before Yellow Dog Bread Co. had its permanent location established and she’s been a regular customer since then.
“I can get my favorite Richmond, Virginia coffee there,” Henderson said. “I’m particularly fond of their croissants, which remind me of the ones I had as a girl in France. Their delicious baked goods, warm and friendly environment and community engagement keep me coming back.”
Its baked goods have become so popular that local grocery stores keep them in stock.* Andrews hopes to extend the Yellow Dog Bread Co. family as far as she has the means to.
“Our family is both of blood and of choosing,” Andrews said. “We’re choosing to love our family that is Yellow Dog. It’s not just Matt and Tanya, it’s everyone involved in this.”
Yellow Dog Bread Co. is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays.
*Editor’s Note: this article was updated to correctly reflect where Yellow Dog products are sold.
