Bob Finigan, owner and baker
For owner and baker Bob Finigan, it's all about the bread. Not just any bread, but artisan breads -- hand-formed in his bakery the way the wonderful breads found in Europe are made – artistic expression in the media of flour, water, salt and yeast.
Of course, take one taste of artisan bread and you know the secret is not as simple as putting four ingredients in a bowl. Bob follows a traditional process using simple tools: hands, stone, time and heat to provide a crisp crust, yet soft crumb inside. The process dates back over 3,000 years to a time when stone hearth ovens were used for bread baking. The Blue Rooster Bakery & Café’s ovens marry the ancient methodology of baking with 21st century technology.
Bob was born with a passion for great breads -- inherited from his grandmother's great yeast bread and his mother's soda bread.
You could say his passion fermented for decades as Bob followed a corporate career path. Until, in 2000, he moved to Ireland and the passion surfaced once again.
He became an earnest student of bread-baking. He trained at the top school in Ireland with chefs and bakers who regularly win prestigious awards for their breads. He went on to work in two of Dublin's best restaurants, honing his bread and pastry skills.
Instinctively, he knew the next step: open his own bakery and bring the simple love of artisan bread to a new audience.
The Blue Rooster Bakery & Café in the historic village of Cranbury will serve much more than bread. But for Baker Bob, the ingredients are the same: traditional methods, fresh ingredients, and a passion for simple, wholesome food.
