By Dave Yasuda

Boise connoisseurs of baked goods are entering a new period of plenty. Bike rides and strolls through neighborhoods have uncovered recent additions to the bakery scene. Before we take a deeper dive into this bread and pastry explosion, let’s look at some of the players who have helped shape today’s bakery landscape.

The rise of artisan breads in Boise began in 1993 when Gary Ebert opened ​Zeppole Baking Co.​ Ebert was an attorney who traveled to France and found the bread to be a revelation. Disillusioned with practicing law, he took a sabbatical to attend the International Baking and Pastry Institute at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. His time at the school convinced him to change from a lawyer to a baker, and he opened Zeppole. The bakery started as a retail business, but within six months began selling wholesale to restaurants and grocery stores. Charles and Alison Alpers purchased Zeppole in 2006 and continued to grow the business.

In 2001 Mathieu Choux moved from France to Boise and opened Le Café de Paris. The restaurant baked its own bread and pastries, which were served at the restaurant and also available from the pastry counter at the front of the store. In 2006 the café launched a wholesale business to supply local restaurants with baked goods. The café later closed, but the wholesale arm continued as ​Gaston’s Bakery.​

​Janjou Patisserie​ started as a wholesale bakery in 2008, selling cookies to local stores. Co-owner and pastry chef Moshit Mizrachi Gabbitas attended the Estella Kitat Oman baking school in Israel and transitioned from a career in semiconductors to baking. The café opened in 2013 and dazzled Boise with handcrafted French pastries unlike anything else in town. Exceptionally laminated croissants, glossy tarts, and savory options set a high standard.

​Acme Bakeshop​ was founded by Michael Runsvold in 2012. He had worked at local bakeries, including Zeppole and Gaston’s, before opening his own business. Runsvold started as a small bread delivery service for local stores and restaurants, and demand grew. Today Acme produces more than 32 different items.

​Sunshine Spice Bakery and Café​ opened in 2019, offering pastries, coffee, and lunch items. The bakery is operated by four sisters, Khatera, Narges, and Homeyra Shams, and Bahar Shams Amir. The women were born in Afghanistan and utilize ingredients like saffron and pistachios that are central to their baked goods.

Since 2015, Boise bakers have been on the national radar. Three local bakers have been recognized with James Beard Award semifinalist nominations for Outstanding Baker. This is a national category, as opposed to a regional one, so the nomination considers bakers from across the United States.

James Beard Award Outstanding Baker Semifinalists:

• 2015 Michael Runsvold, Acme Bakeshop
• 2016, 2020 Moshit Mizrachi Gabbitas, Janjou Patisserie
• 2022 Khatera Shams, Sunshine Spice Bakery and Café

Three to try

Here are three bakeries discovered in different parts of Boise. All are retail operations designed to serve their neighborhoods, although you can make a strong argument to go out of your way to visit each one.

Burread Bakery

• 600 S 9th St, Boise, ID 83702
• ​burreadbakery.com​
• Open Thursday to Saturday, 9am to 2pm

Mike Burr worked as a chef in Montana ski resorts before moving to Slovakia, where his wife Monika is from. The couple married and lived there for three years. Mike enjoyed traveling through small towns, where the bakeries caught his attention. “I was really into the concept of a local bakery where everything is super fresh,” he recalled.

During the pandemic, his sister in law encouraged him to explore sourdough baking. Yeast was a precious commodity in Slovakia, so there is a long tradition of using sourdough as a leavening agent. The trend turned into a love affair with bread. “I dove into it and finally made a good loaf, so I just kept making it,” Mike said.

When he returned to the United States, he went to work for Zeppole, where he learned about baking in a commercial operation. The idea of starting a bakery of his own took root, and he felt success would require more than bread. Mike took a course on baking croissants in San Francisco to expand his repertoire.

In 2022 he started selling bread and pastries at farmers markets, where the business and his following began to grow. That success led to opening ​Burread Bakery​ in October 2025. Slow fermented sourdough loaves in classic, whole grain, and seeded varieties are available every day. A rye sourdough loaf is available on Saturdays. A wide range of croissants, tarts, brioche, and sourdough pastries are offered, along with savory items.

Burread Bakery uses as many ingredients as possible from local suppliers. “Anything I can get local, that’s what I’m going to go for. I like the local element of a bakery, but I also look for seasonal ingredients,” Mike shared. The result is superior flavor, texture, and healthier baked goods. “Once you know good bread, it’s hard to turn back,” he said.

Dusty Miller Goods

• 2518 W Main St, Boise, ID 83702
• ​thedustymiller.com​
• Open Friday to Sunday, 9am to 1pm, or until sold out

Kaya Speagle is a Boise native who started working in kitchens at a young age. She owned and operated Hopscotch, a bakery in Champaign, Illinois, for 10 years before moving back to Boise with her husband, Gordon, and their three children. They purchased a building on Garden Street on the Boise Bench with plans to open a bakery and restaurant. As the timeline to refurbish the building expanded, Kaya opened ​Dusty Miller Goods​ on Main Street in October 2025 to fulfill her need to bake. She has since decided to not move forward with the ​Garden Street location​.

Kaya bakes in a commercial kitchen and brings her wares to the shop to sell.

“I bake an assortment of pastries, and sometimes I make sandwiches and things like that,” she said. “It’s like a pop up every week.”

The weekly menu is published on the ​Dusty Miller Instagram​ account, giving customers a preview before visiting. The shop is a curated space with a large glass bakery display and a selection of small goods and gifts.

Kaya says that canelés, the French pastry baked in copper molds, are her favorite item to make. You will usually find them on the menu along with a mix of sweet and savory offerings. Her culinary background shows in creative items like blueberry jasmine bostock with frangipane, ube Basque cheesecake, and scones with Calabrian chili, orange, and feta.

Glutonia

• 901 N 27th Street, Ste 108B, Boise, ID 83702
• ​glutonia.com​
• Tuesday to Saturday, 7 AM to 5 PM
• Pizza on Thursday and Saturday, open until 7 PM

Wyatt Werner was inspired by The Great British Bake Off and began baking bread in his kitchen in 2018. Many loaves later, he refined his skills and started a home delivery business in 2024. As demand grew, Wyatt and his wife Karissa Wrigley opened their retail shop in November 2025. They drew inspiration from bakeries in Paris, which seem to appear on every corner and offer fresh, delicious bread.

“We are the neighborhood bake shop and want to serve the people around us,” he said. The couple lives upstairs from the bakery and has immersed themselves in the neighborhood. Their local approach, quality baked goods, and word of mouth have helped build the business.

Glutonia uses high quality ingredients from Idaho and the Pacific Northwest. You can find their signature country loaf, authentic baguettes, and Sasquatch, a five pound porridge miche that is sliced into quarters, every day. On weekends they offer specialty loaves like gOAThead oat bread, I Don’t Like Rye bread, and Purple Rain, made with organic multicolored spring wheat flour.

In addition to bread, the shop produces laminated pastries, croissants, and swirls daily. You will also find baguette sandwiches, cheeses, butter, and other provisions. Thursday and Saturday are pizza nights from 5 to 7. Keep an eye out for new offerings.

“We just throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks,” Wyatt said. At the end of the day, Glutonia focuses on high quality bread made daily with excellent ingredients. “Our motto is simple,” he said. “Let bread be bread.”

Where to buy

Acme Bakeshop

They do not have a retail store, but their products can be found at the Boise Co Op, Lark and Larder, Roosevelt Market, and many local restaurants and coffee shops. Acme products are also available at the Boise Farmers Market.

Gaston’s Bakery and Mill

A retail store is located at 3651 W Overland and is open daily. Gaston’s offers artisan breads, pastries, and a variety of flour for home baking. You can also find their products at the Boise Farmers Market.

Sunshine Spice Bakery and Café

Located at 6911 Fairview Avenue and 220 N 10th St in Downtown Boise, the café sells pastries, coffee, and tea. Lunch items are unique. Try the dumplings.

Zeppole Baking Co.

A café and retail market is located at 2345 S Apple Street. Zeppole products are also available at numerous restaurants, grocery stores, and the Capital City Public Market.

Thanks for reading! Happy eating!

With love from Boise,

Marissa

This story was written by Dave Yasuda. Dave is a writer, eater, cyclist, and director of Foodfort at Treefort Music Fest. His writing has appeared in Bicycling, Wired, and the New York Time’s The Wirecutter. View his food thoughts on Instagram: ​@highzoot​