‘A Little Ukrainian Soul’ Brings New Life To Historic Barre Bakery

Danby native Jim Haas spent 28 years in Ukraine before moving back to Vermont to run Rise Up Bakery in Barre.
(Elodie Reed/VPR)

A Barre bakery that was once at the center of a strong labor movement in the early 1900s is back in business.

The bakery, now owned by the Barre Historical Society, turned out its first loaf of hand-baked bread in 1913. It served generations of immigrant quarry workers and stone carvers who toiled in the city’s granite industry.

The massive brick oven was rebuilt recently as part of a project that included the renovation of Barre’s Old Labor Hall. The challenge then was to find a skilled baker who wanted to lease it and give the place a new life. The search ended with a Vermonter living in Ukraine.

Read the rest of the story at VPR’s website.