Glastonbury’s New Bakery Cafe Delivers the Flavors of Jamaica – Hartford Courant

On first visit, Nyam Bakery Cafe is not easy to find. The address, 628 Hebron Ave. in Glastonbury, is a large building filled with offices. But you’ve come to the right place. Nyam is on the first floor. Since June, Kleon and Alwyn Clarke have been serving breakfast and lunch to building workers and anyone else who wanders through the elegant lobby.

The Clarke Brothers, originally from Spanish Town, Jamaica, infuse island flavors into their morning and afternoon offerings, as they have done for years at farmers markets in Hartford and Manchester. Even the name of the cafe is a Jamaican flourish.

“In Jamaican patois, nyam means ‘to eat’,” Kleon Clarke said. “We want to show our culture.

Alwyn Clarke said the two make a good team. “He’s sweet and I’m tasty. He does all the baking, bread and pastries. I make lunch dishes and sandwiches.

Coconut bread – traditional Jamaican bread made with coconut milk – is the base of all breakfast and lunch sandwiches at Nyam. They make it in five varieties: classic, grains and seeds, corn-honey-roasted thyme, garlic-pepper, and vegetable-herbs. Other varieties could arrive. “We’re always trying to come up with new flavors,” Kleon Clarke said.

Breads are also sold by the loaf and in rolls, for $8 to $9, as well as cakes, sweet breads, buns and scones, for $7 to $12.

Kleon Clarke said he and his brother didn’t even think about opening a sandwich shop at first. “We just sold the bread for people to take home. Like in Jamaica, anyone who wants a snack eats a beef patty and coconut bread,” he said. “But it’s such a good base for a sandwich.”

They were approached at a farmers market by the owner of the building and decided to jump at the chance. They opened in the building and were an immediate hit.

“Since COVID, people here haven’t had a space to meet for two years. And when they came back, they were eating from vending machines,” Alwyn Clarke said. “The first week we were here, people came and said, oh my god, thank you for coming here. They even took away the vending machines.

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In the morning, the brothers prepare a variety of breakfast sandwiches made from coconut bread with eggs and cheese, without meat or with bacon, sausage or turkey. They range in price from $3.49 to $5.99, with an extra charge for extra meat, eggs, or cheese. Side dishes range from $1.49 for a toast to $4.49 for a fruit cup.

Lunch sandwiches, also made with coconut bread, are BLT, grilled cheese, tuna, beef, vegetables, chicken salad and turkey, most of them at 7.59 $, except grilled cheese at $5.59. At lunch, the brothers also do a weekly special, at $12.99, with rice, vegetables and fried plantains. This week’s special is Citrus Spicy Chicken. The two varieties of patties, both meatless, are vegetarian ($3.49) and spicy beef alternative ($4.49).

Alwyn, the “salty” brother, has a knack for making even an average egg and cheese breakfast sandwich sing with flavor. He calls it “Momentum Spice”. “It’s a blend of familiar spices and herbs. It has been formulated over the years. It brings a tasty heat,” he said.

The cafe also sells pound cake and rum cake ($4), sweet carrot bread and coconut milk raisin buns ($3.50), and a variety of vegan cookies ($3.50). $), including one with that “momentary” flavor, “dark chocolate heat.” ” biscuit.

The Clarkes’ mother, Rachael Hyman Clarke, makes the Jamaican Fruit Punch and Hibiscus Sorrel Punch ($2.99-$3.49).

Nyam Bakery Cafe is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. until September, when hours extend from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit nyambakery.com.

Susan Dunne can be contacted at [email protected].