Gooche’s Bakery US Map & Phone & Address
4140 Washington Sl, Roslindale;(617) 325-3928
You’d never guess in a million years that this tiny, wood-frame structure conceals a bakery that supplies upscale food stores with macrobiotic pastries, breads, and pastas from Cambridge all the way to Alaska. But it’s true.
Gooche is owner Dominic Candela, a friendly guy who oversees the baking. He cranks out creations like lemon-sesame cookies, carob-walnut brownies, and apple-raisin-cinnamon bread loaves. At a mere $2, the bread is the most expensive of these; the cookies, which are individually packaged, sell at places like Bread & Circus for around $1.50 but you can get em here for just 650, fresh from the oven. These pastries are made using skim milk, very little oil, and no salt or sugar; they’re sweetened with barley malt, and are low in fat Oh yes, and they’re delicious.
Dom’s cousin, Bob Mazza, is like a mad scientist of pasta. He’s constantly inventing new ways to make pasta, avoiding eggs and using alternative ingredients like rice flour to reduce fat and cholesterol. Inside huge ravioli pockets, he stuffs fillings like garlic, white beans, and escarole (that’s all one rav) and sells them for $2.50-$4 a pound. Bob’s R & D technique? He tests out his inventions on co-workers first, and if he gets the thumbs-up, they’re added to the menu. He’s had few failures.
Other varieties include such exotic fare as yam gnocchi and tofu pasta; meat and vegetarian sauces are made here as well. These can get a bit pricey; but considering the freshness and quality, you’ll save a bundle here as compared with health food stores.
Having been in business nearly twenty years, Gooche’s isn’t the best-kept secret in town. Many products sell out by the end of the day, but you can always call ahead and special-or-der anything on the list. The shop is open every weekday from 9 A.M. to 7 P.M.; since they’re closed all weekend, Mondays are clear-out days, when many items are reduced to just a dollar. Go.
