It’s hard to miss 350° Bakery. The from-scratch bakery, located on a winding road in the Southside Slopes, is painted a stark black, with — if that wasn’t already enough to announce their presence — neon pink accents and a sprawling, bright white, larger-than-life “350 Bakery” decorating the side of their wall.
But even if you could drive past 350 without noticing it, you wouldn’t want to. Owners Janie Crawford and Barb Reale bake up some of Pittsburgh’s most sought-out treats, from blueberry scones to brownies to handmade puff tarts.
350 officially formed in 2011, when Janie and Barb — who have known each other since middle school — decided they wanted to do “some kind of business with food.” The duo, who had been making desserts for Pipers Pub on the South Side, settled on a bakery.
“We both baked when we were kids… we liked to eat sweets and we liked baking cookies,” Janie said.
Eventually, they expanded from Pipers to other coffee shops, gyms, markets, and more, moving from the restaurant and their home kitchens to the bakery and retail space on the Slopes.
It was “somewhat” of a learning experience, Janie laughs, to go from working in restaurants to running a bakery.
“We ran things like a restaurant for a long time,” she continued. “We would decide our menu in the morning, take people’s orders that day, and make everything start to finish in one day.”
Now (after a few years of “working 16-20 hour days and losing our minds,” Janie jokes), they’re running like a well-oiled machine. Their shop — even when closed — buzzes with activity. The baking space in the back, away from the calm, well-decorated retail area, is filled with freshly-baked goods, pinched pies waiting for a trip in the oven, and lively staff.
“Things are always changing, but it’s a huge help not doing everything in one day,” Janie laughed.
These changes apply to both their business and their baked goods. Though they carry a line of standard treats for wholesale, the retail space brings room for seasonal experimentation.
“We’re planning to do things with fresh fruit,” Janie explains, noting that there are more “fun” things you can do in the store because, unlike wholesale, they don’t have to stay wrapped and delicious for days.
For this, they’re looking to source locally, as they do with much of their business. “We understand the importance of quality, so we start all of our baked goods with the best ingredients,” they write on the website. Janie’s parents own a large organic vegetable farm, where they source lots of their produce; all of their eggs are from an area farm.
But, as much as they’re leaning into the experimentation of retail baking, wholesale still makes up the majority of their business. It’s because of this that Janie is excited to partner with Harvie:
“We’re excited to have products in people’s homes,” she says. “It’s a whole new way for people to experience our products. When people come to the bakery and make a fancy box of stuff, it’s very different than receiving these things like groceries.”
Find 350 scones, cookies, brownies, hand pies, biscuits, and more on Harvie! Our recommendation? Get a few biscuits, some bacon, and eggs to make the perfect breakfast sandwich.