A husband-and-wife bakery that started out proofing sourdough overnight in a converted West St. Petersburg storefront has now spread its reach across Pinellas County, opening a second cafe on Dunedin’s Main Street. The Crumb Factory Bakery & Cafe’s expansion was featured this week by FOX 13 reporter Charley Belcher, who sampled pastries, breads and other menu items from the growing operation.
The bakery was founded in August 2021 by Pablo Mardones, a former corporate restaurant manager, and his wife Katie Mardones, an attorney and Stetson University College of Law graduate, according to the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce. The pair left corporate careers to launch the flagship location at 5701 Central Ave. in West St. Petersburg, taking over a 2,400-square-foot building along one of the city’s main commercial corridors linking downtown St. Petersburg to the beaches, as reported by The Gabber Newspaper. FOX 13 Tampa Bay covered the Dunedin expansion in a segment posted Tuesday, noting the bakery now operates in both St. Petersburg and Dunedin.
Before The Crumb Factory moved into the Central Avenue building, the space was home to Rae Rae’s Cafe, a budget-friendly breakfast spot that held a 4.5-star rating on Yelp before it closed, Hoodline previously reported. That bit of neighborhood history underscores how the corner has stayed a breakfast destination even as ownership changed hands.
A French Oven and Years of Overnight Proofing
What sets The Crumb Factory apart, according to The Gabber, is a specialized bread oven that co-owner Pablo Mardones imported directly from France to produce scratch-made artisan sourdough loaves and pastries using traditional overnight proofing techniques. The equipment allows for the precise heat distribution needed to achieve the crackling crusts associated with European-style sourdough, the outlet reported. That attention to process now extends to a menu that includes cruffins, sourdough breakfast sandwiches, quiches, specialty coffees and multi-person catering breakfast packages priced up to $60, per the bakery’s own listings…