October 14, 2025
Provided Image/Stuart Goldenberg
The Bread Room is the latest venture from James Beard Award-winning restauranteur Ellen Yin. The Old City bakery will offer classes and events in the evenings.
James Beard Award-winning restauranteur Ellen Yin and her team at High Street Hospitality's newest venture, the Bread Room in Old City, is a bakery by day and a learning center by night.
The Bread Room offers its own take on Pop-Tarts and over 20 seasonal pastries baked daily, as well as loafs of bread, sandwiches and salads. In the evenings, the space at 834 Chestnut St. transforms into a classroom.
"We’ll offer a variety of classes throughout the year — ranging from Sourdough 101 and pizza making to viennoiserie and seasonal workshops," chef Christina McKeough said. "... We’re also launching a guest baker series, welcoming friends from across the city and country for special one-day features."
Prospective bakers will eventually be able to sign up for these classes and workshops on the bakery's OpenTable page.
The Bread Room features a communal table that originally belonged to the founder of the Barnes Foundation.
The space was designed by Marguerite Rodgers Interiors and features 14-foot ceilings, large windows and seating room for 19 guests. A communal table, once owned by Philadelphia-based art collector Albert Barnes of the Barnes Foundation, will seat eight people in the center of the bakery. The walls, painted a rich green and burnt orange, combined with the refurbished wood accents give it an elevated, rustic feel.
By combining a high-quality culinary experience with learning opportunities, Yin hopes the Bread Room can stand as a third space for surrounding Center City neighborhoods.
"Bakeries are historically a gathering place for communities — whether it's grabbing a cup of coffee on your way to work, a place to randomly run into your neighbors, saying hello to the barista who remembers your order or even a place where like-minded individuals might meet — bakeries connect people," Yin said in a statement. "We're all craving a little connection these days. Our workshops and classes further this sentiment, and we're eager to share our expertise with our community."
The Bread Room is open now and will have a special event Tuesday, Oct. 20, in which the first 100 guests will receive a free tote bag. The bakery will be open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays-Fridays and from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
