Hearth & Hug Bakery is a “homey, friendly” place, said Jesse Myers, a longtime customer.  

Located in the Boston Public Market, the bakery opened its doors in September 2023. It offers a variety of baked goods from croissants — its most popular item — to bread.  

Natalie Hug, owner of Hearth & Hug, has wanted to open a bakery since she was 5 years old. In order to pursue her dream, Hug attended the now-closed Newbury College in Brookline, where she graduated with a degree in baking and pastry arts and culinary management. 

When Hug got the opportunity to open a bakery, she jumped at it. She set an ambitious opening date and got to work. 

Hug received an invitation to open her bakery from the Boston Public Market shortly after she did a pop-up event. The Public Market said they had been needing a bakery and though Hug would be the perfect fit.

She was “a little bit crazy,” Hug said of herself. She said the hardest part was learning all the regulations a bakery had to follow in order to operate. The whole thing was extremely “stressful.” 

Every morning, Hug wakes up at around 4 a.m. and arrives at Hearth & Hug around 5 a.m. in order to make fresh pastries for the day. 

After she arrives, Hug does all the prep and set up work, like filling the display case. Hug said it’s a pretty quick turnaround.  

After opening, Hug said she spends most of her time making croissants. 

“We probably sell more croissants than, like, almost anything else,” Hug said. 

Myers and his wife have been coming to Hearth & Hug for over a year after accidentally stumbling upon it just a few weeks after the bakery had opened. On their next visit, they met Hug. 

“She immediately said ‘I saw you last week … what can I tell you about it?’ And it was love at first sight from there,” Myers said.  

The two now go every Saturday and are fascinated by the variety of experiences they receive. 

“I love the fact that things don’t look and taste identical each week even when it’s the same item,” Myers said. “It’s clearly individual small batches versus your classic chain, what I would call a consistent experience. … I love that feeling, like it’s gonna be a little bit of a surprise every week.” 

Myers also appreciates the interactions he has with the bakery’s employees. He’s gotten to know the owner fairly well and said he loves being able to ask her the story behind particular items.  

Jane Penkava, another customer, was visiting Boston when she discovered Hearth & Hug. 

“Everything looked good,” Penkava said. One dessert in particular caught her eye: a fluffernutter brownie. 

Penkava was intrigued by the name and decided to try it. She said the employees were very helpful and explained the flavor to her.

Hug says running a bakery is hard work.

“It is a longer day,” Hug said. “A lot of people don’t really realize that baking on this scale … does require a ton of time.”  

Despite the time commitment, Hug deeply values her job.  

Hug said that, due to the bakery’s small size, she and her employees have a personal relationship with their customers. 

“I value so much meeting people and getting to talk to people,” Hug said.  

Hearth & Hug runs a program called Charity of the Month where, every month, it chooses a charity and a bakery item. Ten percent of all sales of that item will then be donated to that month’s charity.  

“I [want to] be able to give something back and, even though it feels small, it can be so impactful,” Hug said.  

In addition to supporting a cause, Hug said it’s a subtle way to show customers and staff what the bakery’s values and stances are; it’s a way of telling people they’re safe there.

Hug said her dream of owning a bakery “definitely didn’t happen in the way [she] expected it to,” but she’s eager to continue the journey wherever it takes her. 

She said that food plays a big role in important moments in life and getting to be a part of that, even if it’s just in a small way, is very rewarding.  

“[Food] is something that can make people so happy,” Hug said. “Even something that seems very small can make people really, really happy.”