We have known Shane Gorringe for nearly 30 years. His bakery Zoe’s first came to our attention the way restaurant donations to events should, by giving attendees a taste of the donor’s wares. Shane was a regular contributor to events in Covington, and it was there that we discovered bite-sized coconut tarts and chocolate cheesecake, little Florentines and so many whipped cream-topped delights.
We started going there and discovered that these yummy treats were only part of what he did. We saw gorgeous cakes and croissants, cinnamon rolls, and scones. In the ensuing years, his name echoed across the lake as his glamorous wedding cakes made him a household name.
Shane is from Devon on the southwest coast of England, and his story is familiar. He married a girl from Covington. His wife is from a legendary Covington family, the Poole’s of lumber fame.
We have always loved him, and the only reason we dropped off from very regular visits was that our daughter became a fabulous baker herself. (Shane gave her a job in his kitchen as soon as she could legally work.)
Since she doesn’t bake much right now we are forced to go back to commercial bakeries, which will always bring us to Zoe’s. On a visit a year ago Shane excitedly told us about expanding the operation to the Southshore, a move I have often wondered has been so long coming.
He told us about the City Market on Elysian Fields, and on another visit was even more thrilled to announce his acquisition of the old European bakery on Maple St. He felt that this one would be most like a “real” European bakery, a term I fully understood, instantly sharing his enthusiasm.
The only thing that remotely resembles a European bakery locally is Angelo Brocato’s. It’s got a European vibe to it, as well as unusual treats. We couldn’t wait to see what Shane meant by his statement, and it took a long time to have that opportunity. When the previous tenant in the space left, it didn’t seem like a big transformation project. But it was.
A few weeks ago we were in the neighborhood and I thought I’d pass by and see how close they were to opening. Coincidentally, the light had literally just been turned on that very afternoon. Shane was sitting by the window. We went in to visit.
The place was beautiful, with white paneled cases embossed with the name.
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These cases were filled with about four times the amount of offerings as the Covington location. There were more complex things as well. At the Covington location, some of our favorites were individual pecan pies and little vanilla and chocolate cheesecakes, as well as chocolate mousse cake.
On Maple St. there are gigantic scones and cheesecake brownies and blueberry and cream cheese Danish and caramel bread pudding.
The first few things we tried were the large chocolate chip scones and the caramel bread pudding. I also got a cheesecake with chocolate sauce. The scone was plenty large enough for two, or three. It was dense but not dry, and loaded with chocolate chips. It crumbled to the touch.
Shane has big plans for the place, with seating for savory food to come. But for right now it will be an effort to fill all those cases with the glamorous European sweet treats that we fell in love with so long ago.
