The view from the Idea Center

Have you ever baked a brownie, cake, cookie, whatever... and let it go too long, so you scorched the whole thing? Yeah, me too.

Equally bad is when you pull the baked goods from the oven too soon. Those are likewise ruined because baking is a precise art.

Apparently, so too is running a bakery. And we almost lost one this week, by having the goods pulled out too soon.

But nearly as soon as ideastream’s Matt Richmond filed this story on the end of Bloom Bakery, we were messaged by not only the bakery operators but also by Bloom's co-founders, Logan Fahey and world-renowned baker Maurice Chaplais. More on them in a second...

Bloom’s spokesperson Adaora Schmiedl touted the efforts and the mission of the bakery’s operators, which indeed deserve proper praise.

"Developing industry-specific pathways is the expertise we have at Towards Employment," she wrote.

And Bloom has certainly been the all-purpose flour of the job training set: The bakery and catering business wasn’t started as just a bakery; it was founded to offer paid internships, training, jobs and mentorship to people who had trouble finding them, including those who have been incarcerated or on public assistance.

A few hours before the bakery closed its doors Wednesday there was another note, alerting us to the possibility that the closure may not be permanent, which is certainly good news for Cleveland and for Bloom's patrons – and workers.

Co-founders Fahey and Chaplais were also blindsided by the announced closing and quickly responded. Now, they are in talks to take over and reopen the bakery as quickly as possible, keeping the current locations in downtown Cleveland and the Campus District.

From the Fahey Group’s note: "The new owners are committed to continue the Bloom Bakery mission of providing employment opportunities and training to individuals who face barriers to finding a steady job, as well as offering high-quality, artisan-crafted baked goods to the public."

So, as the reported death of a bakeshop turns out to be (hopefully) premature, Towards Employment can stand on its mantra: “Our first commitment is to connect each Bloom employee to new opportunities.”

And please, keep those oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cranberry-pecan cookies coming.

Talk to you bright and early tomorrow!
Rick Jackson

Need to KnOH

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Your ideas

Talks are just getting started to keep Bloom Bakery going, but both locations closed their doors Wednesday and catering operations will end tomorrow. Who's got the best brownie or oatmeal-chocolate-chip-cranberry-pecan cookie recipe to keep us going until the new version of the bakery opens? Call us at  (216) 916-6476 or comment on  our Facebook page. We'll feature some of your thoughts and comments here in Noon(ish) and on Morning Edition.