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Fat Girl Bliss at The Bakehouse at Chelsea

By Southern Grit · On May 14, 2015

Article by Kat Baxter with photography by Joshua Fitzwater

(lead photo- Salami arugula pizza in The Bakehouse at Chelsea brick oven built by Jeremiah Church)

Growing up in the West Ghent area, when I was feeling hungry and a bit lazy, I would often order out for pizza from either Orapax or Pizza Hut. My brother worked at Orapax for sometime and when he left under not the best of circumstances, it seemed that Pizza Hut and the other chains became the preferred family option. As I grew older I also held many fast food pizza jobs, learning a few different techniques on making Americanized pizza for the masses. Some had frozen disks that thaw out into dough, some had the add water powder mixes for dough, and others had dough balls delivered to stretch out into a pizza shape. Fresh ingredients were obviously scarce in most of these penny-pinching chains. This lack of quality for the almighty dollar is not what’s going on at The Bake House at Chelsea. Open for just under a year now, this bakery nestled between The Birch and Tortilla West is concerned with serving fresh pies and artisan bread.

(above- employee Kayla)

As I walked in for lunch with Southern Grit co editor Fitz around noon on Wednesday, we were greeted warmly by the smells of freshly baked bread and mingling spices, almost as warm as the staff. The Bakehouse has a very laid back, slightly rustic industrial feeling with a high ceiling and two large brick ovens in the back. When you come in, laid out in front of you are various croissants filled with yummy goodies surrounded by flakey pastry heaven so enticing they confound the brain as to which one you want to devour first.

(above- assortment of croissants and bread)

Fitz and I tear ourselves away from the baked eye candy long enough to look at some of the specialty pizzas they have listed on the chalk board next to the wall. They all sound so delicious it’s hard to choose just one. After a slight debate, the man with the money ultimately makes the call. We shall feast on the Salami Arugula pizza, with house made red sauce, smoked Gouda, mozzarella, caramelized onion, and naturally cured bacon.

(above- employee Kenny)

Now I must say I was slightly put off by Fitz’s choice. As a long time fat girl it just hurt my brain- salad on a fucking pizza? No good can come from this. I however did get to choose our descent into the depths of the forbidden bacon wrapped smoked Gouda croissant. Victory is always wrapped in bacon!

(above- saucing the salami arugula pizza)

I choose to wait outside in the shade of an umbrella table while Fitz takes photos inside and got our food. I find myself quite amused by the four high school gossipers next to me as a few minutes pass. Shortly after the teenagers flee the scene, Fitz emerges with the goodies. I inspect the salad pizza with trepidation while he finds the right light to photograph the croissant. I take the first bit of my prize… a glorious symphony of cheese and meat that melts in your mouth with a slight hint of sweet from the onion. The spices of the dry Italian Fiorucci salami mesh well with the sauce and the crunch of the fresh arugula is the finishing touch to the bite. The sauce is in no way overpowering or too liberally applied in relation to the other ingredients. The crust is lovingly made with precise timing so as to not be too soft or too crunchy. It holds the ingredients perfectly with some tasty black oven marks on the bottom and crust. The pizza was baked in a wood fired oven made by Vermont resident Jeremiah Church. The bake house primarily burns white oak wood with an addition mix of red oak and hickory added in.

(above- The Bakehouse at Chelsea’s hand built brick pizza oven)

Our next treat, which I was still thinking about since eyeballing it when I walked in The Bakehouse is the bacon wrapped smoked Gouda croissant. While by and large the most flakey croissant I’ve experienced in Hampton Roads recently, I feel it could have benefitted a bit if the flavor profile had more of a buttery element. And while the pairing of the bacon and the smoked Gouda was divine, the Gouda and bacon could have been more evenly distributed on the inside wrap of the croissant (from front to back).

(above- bacon wrapped smoked Gouda croissant)

I sat there for a few minutes blissfuly content with a full belly of now revered salad pizza and flakey croissant while Fitz went back in to take a few more photos. He soon reappeared with two types of fresh baked bread- the Campague Rustic Farmhouse loaf which is 90% white organic and 10% whole wheat organic bread, and The Bakehouse-house loaf which is 50% organic whole wheat and 40% organic white with 10% organic rye bread. Both were baked to perfection with the fluffy inside of Campague Rustic Farmhouse bread standing out as the most memorable. The breads at The Bakehouse are fired in a second oven also made by Church. Both brick ovens were cut by hand and took three weeks to build. Both also are truly works of art.

(above- Jeremiah Church’s hand built brick oven)

The BakeHouse at Chelsea may be perceived as a bit pricey to some with 4 slice pizzas running around twelve dollars. However, you ultimately get what you pay for and The Bake house is in the business of fresh baked pies of higher quality than most other pizza joints you will find locally. Dub this fat girl a fan- Even of the salad pizza.