Breaking Bread; Building Community

Is there anything more wholesome and satisfying than a warm, fresh loaf of bread? In the world of food, there may not be. Kevin Masse, master baker and owner of Small State Provisions, is here to perpetuate the warm undertaking of breaking bread, and the community of West Hartford can’t get enough of it.

Nestled “inside” at the Gastropark, one of the area’s latest food destinations, Kevin and his team churn out countless, naturally-leavened sourdough baguettes, batards, babkas, granola, cookies, and likely the most popular focaccia around. And Small State Provisions goes above and beyond from week to week; not only do they have long lines every Thursday to Sunday, but the line itself becomes a community event kicked off by Kevin’s weekly Instagram “Hello and Wave” posts. Smiles from ear to ear, his customer base has quickly become loyal fans.

On one weekend morning, local mom Kim-Tuyen Truong was sitting with her son and husband Glenn Levesque at a table adjacent to the bakery and enjoying SSP’s now famous focaccia. “It's the first place we always go to on our Saturday and Sunday. We always pick up a rosemary or cheddar jalapeno focaccia and multiple pastries, especially if there are some new ones to try. We're in love with this bakery in particular, and usually try to support local establishments. The owner and workers are always happy, and I can see that they put a lot of love in their products.”

Started as a Cottage Food Operation out of Kevin’s home in 2019, making door-to-door deliveries or offering pick-ups (especially during the pandemic), he wanted to bake for as long as he can remember. Before SSP, he spent many years as an ad executive in New York City for places like FeedFeed or Bake From Scratch, but, with a supportive push from his husband, Michael Grubb, and constant encouragement from his Mom and Dad (who remain loyal helpers), the bakery allows him to put his worlds together in a unique way, combining business, family, and community. He’s been so touched by the following and loyalty to the bakery’s new storefront.

Kevin was born in Elmira, New York and raised in Syracuse. “I have been surrounded by food my entire life, and it has always been a shared experience that we gather around. Both of my parents are incredible home cooks, but it was my grandmother [whose family is from Italy] who I really remember making dough with. She used to keep fresh pizza on the counter whenever we would come to visit [and] I remember her showing me what that dough should look like, and more importantly, how it should feel. Food was always delicious, but unpretentious, which is how I like to keep it at the bakery.”

“The genuine warmth of the people who run this bakery is reflected in the authentic flavors of their product...This place serves as an oasis of calm, goodness and hope.” —Hartford Mom, Anna Barresi

Clockwise: The team on a busy Saturday morning. Meg Poulin; Kevin Masse; Michael Grubb; Forrest Holt; Likely the most popular focaccia in the region, with olive oil, rosemary, & salt; Kim-Tuyen Truong, husband Glenn Levesque and their son stop at Small State every weekend; Forming the sourdough batard. Everything matters, from ingredients and oven to temperature of the environment and the baker’s hands.

It is amazing what Kevin and his team are able to produce in their small bakery, which is not much bigger than many home kitchens.

Part of what builds that community spirit is the customers being able to see the team in action. On one busy Saturday (actually, they are always busy), customers can see part of the process from the line. For example, they were greeted by Michael, who took orders and ran the register (he also designed the company logo); Forrest Holt was scoring batards and managing the ovens; Meg Poulin was making cookies; and Kevin himself was shaping baguettes, answering questions, or checking in with people in the line. Sophie Elfenbaum and Cadyn Poulin, are also very much a part of the “bakery family.”

Sourdough is the way to go. Everything that makes up SSP’s products are naturally leavened, meaning they use no commercial yeast, and just use three ingredients: salt, water, and flour. The real interest in sourdough struck Kevin when he and his husband first moved to Connecticut in 2016 and he met cookbook author Terry Walters (Clean Food, Clean Start and more recently Eat Clean, Live Well). “The fact that people have been making bread this way for thousands of years, is just mind blowing.” Kevin continues, “We don't do anything fancy or special, but we rely on the best ingredients we can get and we allow time to give us the flavor that makes our bread so special.” Besides King Arthur organic flour, Small State Provisions is proud to source ingredients as local as possible, and to use eggs from Sub Edge Farm, just down the road in Farmington.

Anna Barresi and her daughter, Sylvia, are also weekly regulars from Hartford. “Hopefully I leave today with three loaves of the house sourdough, a blueberry scone, and one of their new snickerdoodle cookies. None of the goodies are overly sweet, which allows me to really taste and appreciate each ingredient.”

Small State Provisions, in West Hartford’s new place to “Gather and Graze,” has carved out a special place to step outside, talk to neighbors and make connections. And they’ve done so in the simplest, most-satisfying way: overly delicious, wholesome warm bread. Beyond the tremendously popular products, great design, and cozy environment, Kevin’s constant gratitude, which he displays in person or on his popular Instagram page, has added to the bright spot making up many regulars’ routines.

Kevin notes, “What I love about this bakery that I am building is that it really is a community that comes together, and I find myself saying we are a community driven establishment.”

• Small State Provisions is located at 637 New Park Avenue in West Hartford. smallstateprovisions.com