Clear Flour Bread Switches Hands, But Not Methods

A popular Brookline bakery has changed hands, though fans of the small spot will notice very little alteration to its day-to-day operations and menu. Clear Flour Bakery is now under the auspices of husband-and-wife team Jon Goodman and Nicole Walsh, who are working with former owners Christy Timon and Abe Faber to transition the bakery, as Patch reported.

Goodman and Walsh most recently worked in the food industry in San Francisco. Goodman grew up in Brookline and met Timon and Faber through family friends, so when he and Walsh started discussing opening their own bakery, they consulted the Clear Flour owners for advice, Goodman told Eater in an email.

“It had come to be the standard by which I held all bakeries, from the high quality of bread and pastry, to the happy bakers behind the counter, to that certain electricity you feel when you walk into the store,” Goodman said.

During their meeting, Timon and Faber shared that they had been thinking about retirement, but they didn’t want to sell the bakery to a big business.

“Nicole and I were taken by the couple and how we were so similar,” he said. “Nicole is a baker like Christy and I'm an operations guy like Abe. We aligned almost exactly in our business philosophies: our insistence on using the best ingredients, our respect for bakers and treatment of staff, to the way we maintain our kitchen equipment.”

The idea of a sale to Goodman and Walsh made sense, Goodman said.

“Luckily for us, they thought we had the right mindset, ability, and love to carry on the tradition they started,” he added.

Goodman and Walsh formally took ownership of Clear Flour on November 1, and Timon and Faber will stick around for a year to aid the transition. All of Clear Flour’s staff will stay on, and for now the menu won’t change.

“Our number one priority is making sure our customers will be getting the same high-quality breads they've been enjoying for the last 35 years, for the next 35 years,” Goodman said.

Eventually, Walsh’s first addition to the menu will be babka — stay tuned for its post-holiday arrival.

“It's a dream to be able to own and operate the bakery you grew up idolizing,” Goodman said. “It's truly humbling to be able to take this huge challenge on. Abe and Christy are an inspiration to work with, and we've already learned so much from them.”

Goodman said he and Walsh are up to the task of carrying on Clear Flour’s role in the neighborhood.

“Nicole and I bring a lot from our time out on the West Coast and have been preparing for this our whole lives,” he said. “We're thrilled for the opportunity to be able to carry the torch and continue to serve Boston the best bread money can buy.”

• Clear Flour Bread: End of An Era In Brookline [Patch]