It’s an end of an era: Phoebe Lawless is closing her bakery and restaurant
James Beard-nominated baker Phoebe Lawless announced Friday she will close her bakery Scratch and The Lakewood restaurant this weekend.
“With heavy hearts we’re here to say that Sunday night will be our last service. We have felt so fortunate to come to work everyday in this gorgeous space, with these talented, dedicated, and fantastic people who so much love what they do. Come for a sip and a bite and wish us well!” she wrote on The Lakewood’s Instagram page.
A similar message is on the bakery’s Instagram page.
“It’s with great sadness that I let you know that this Sunday will be our last day open. I am forever grateful for all of your support, and for the truly special group of people who chose to get up everyday and come work for me. I am so proud to have been part of this great little food town, and I will miss it dearly. If you have the time, come by this week end for one last slice.”
Lawless could not be reached for further comment Friday.
The Lakewood, Lawless’ full-service restaurant, opened in May last year in the former Davis Baking Co. building, renovating it into a stunning mid-century dining room with large glass windows and a rooftop patio. In a review last fall, News & Observer dining critic Greg Cox gushed over Lawless’ panache with everything flaky and sweet.
Lawless opened “Baby Scratch,” a second location, in the fall. It initially was a second location to the original downtown Durham cafe, where she became famous for her pies and sweets.
That location closed earlier this year, consolidating Lawless’ operations in Lakewood. The original cafe and bakery was part of the class of restaurants that over the last decade established downtown Durham as one of the South’s most delicious city blocks. In closing that location, Lawless wrote a moving essay on her journey from selling pies at the Durham farmer’s market to owning three home-grown businesses.
“What started out as a simple pie shop with coffee has turned into a bustling breakfast and lunch café,” Lawless wrote in January. “The foundations for our wholesale program began there, and the seeds for what is now Baby Scratch and The Lakewood were conceived there. It became more than I ever thought it could be.”
Lawless is an award-winning baker and has been a James Beard Award semifinalist for Outstanding Pastry Chef in 2013 and 2014. She was a semifinalist for Outstanding Baker in 2015, 2016 and 2017. She spent nearly a decade working for James Beard-winning pastry chef Karen Barker at the beloved and now closed Magnolia Grill in Durham.
This story was originally published July 27, 2018 at 1:56 PM with the headline "It’s an end of an era: Phoebe Lawless is closing her bakery and restaurant."