The Brief
A popular New York City-based bakery is opening its first Bay Area shop.
Levain Bakery was founded more than 30 years ago in Manhattan.
The cult brand is known for its “Original Crunchy, Chewy, Soft, Gooey, 6 Oz. Cookie.”
SAN JOSE, Calif. – A New York City-born bakery, with a cult-like following, is bringing its viral cookies and other baked goods to Northern California for the first time.
Bay Area debut
What we know
Levain Bakery plans to open a new location in San Jose.
“The 31-year-old bakery renowned for its big, beloved cookies, will open in Santana Row, Silicon Valley’s premier shopping and culinary destination,” the company shared with KTVU in an email.
The backstory
The story behind the popular brand is about friendship, a love of baking and staying committed to the founders’ neighborhood bakery roots.
It all began in 1995 when best friends Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald, who baked artisanal breads for many popular New York City restaurants, decided to open a small shop in Manhattan’s West 74th Street with a desire to serve the neighborhood.
While Weekes, McDonald and their team focused on their freshly baked loaves, baguettes, and rolls, the item that put them on the map happened to come about as a “happy accident,” the company’s website said.
In addition to baking, Weekes and McDonald spent time training as triathletes. As part of their energy-supplying diet, the pair decided to whip up a high-calorie endurance-providing chocolate chip walnut cookie.
“A sample batch flew off the bakery shelves, and an icon was born,” the company shared. “Our cozy shop became a neighborhood favorite and a destination for epicurious travelers from around the world.”
Levain Bakery founders Connie McDonald and Pam Weekes.
(Credit: Melissa Kirschenheiter)
Famous cookies
The company said its handmade goods are created with only the best ingredients.
And Levain’s viral, thick 6-ounce cookies are described as being memorable for their crunchy yet chewy consistency, soft and gooey on the inside.
“Decadently crispy on the outside and gooey in the middle, its gooeyness cuts right to a cookie lover’s core. Flaky, moist and savory… You never forget your first — and you’ll always want another,” the bakery chain wrote on its website in its description of “The Levain Way.”
Almost 2 dozen locations
The bakery grew across New York City and to other parts of the country, expanding to more than 20 U.S. locations.
Most of its shops are on the East Coast, but Levain also has a presence in Southern California with a shop in Los Angeles’s Larchmont Village, LA’s Venice neighborhood, a bakery in Beverly Hills and another in Newport Beach.
What’s next
Levain plans to open its new San Jose shop next summer.
What we don’t know
The company would not say if there are other Bay Area stores in the works.
Levain Bakery opened its first shop in 1995 in New York City. The popular bakery brand is set to open its first location in the Bay Area.
(Credit: Mark Weinberg / Levain Bakery)
New York City-based Levain Bakery, known for its cult favorite cookies is opening its first Bay Area shop, the popular chain said.
(Credit: Mark Weinberg / Levain Bakery)
Levain cookies are known for its thick, large 6 ounce size and its gooey centers.
(Credit: Kate Previte / Levain Bakery)