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(From left) Wildcraft Focaccia Co. owners Thomas Parfitt and Kevin Murphy
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The bakery, cafe and market is located at 1303 Hull St. in Manchester.
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A view of the inside dining area
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Wildcraft Focaccia Co. is set to open in the next two weeks.
In the movie “Little Miss Sunshine,” one of the most prominent lines is “Do what you love and f--- the rest,” and Thomas Parfitt — co-owner of the forthcoming bakery, cafe and market Wildcraft Foccacia Co., expected to rise in the next two weeks in Manchester — decided to do just that.
“What I really wanted to do every day is make what I want to eat every day, and what I want to eat every day is savory bread,” Parfitt says.
His relationship with the oven-baked flatbread dates back to the 1990s, when he headed the kitchen at the vegetarian Ipanema Cafe, and in more recent years as a father, when making decorative focaccia with leafy herbs and artistic spirals in hopes of enticing his daughter, Emily, to eat her vegetables.
“I was already baking focaccia every day,” says the New Jersey transplant of the decision to open his own bakery.
Joining him in the naturally leavened sourdough concept that celebrates wild yeast creations is native New Yorker Kevin Murphy. After meeting in 2016, the bakers had a frequent text thread where bread-making, and specifically focaccia, was the main topic.
“Over the past two or three years I got into naturally leavened baking, too, and Tom and I were always sharing stuff together,” Murphy says. “I’d text him and say, ‘Hey, check this out,’ or, ‘This didn’t come out the way I expected.’ ”
When Parfitt’s original partner bowed out in September, he says one name stuck out on his short list of potential co-owners. He sent a message to Murphy that read, “You should just quit your job and come be my partner.”
The next day Murphy quit his job in health care financial management. “It was liberating,” he says.
Since then, the two have been working on creating a hip garden oasis and focaccia palace at 1303 Hull St. in Manchester. Fueled by Coke Zeros, a common vision for an ethical work environment and a love for sourdough, the duo seem as if they’ve been lifelong best friends.
“We share a common vision of how we want to treat people,” Parfitt says, “and that’s so important.”
The two also share an adoration for simplicity, such as salami paired with good bread and cheese.
“We both eat bread and cheese every day and make so much at home, too,” Murphy says with a laugh. “I could eat bread and cheese every day and be happy,” says Parfitt, a L’Academie de Cuisine pastry school graduate, in agreement.
An industry veteran, Parfitt began his restaurant career washing dishes in Richmond kitchens, his resume including stints at the now shuttered Zeus Gallery Cafe and the Washington, D.C., fine-dining establishment CityZen. Most recently, he worked with University of Richmond’s Center for Culinary Arts to create pastry, nutrition food science and food management programs at the school, and for five years operated local catering company Seven Hills Market. With a master’s degree in permaculture, Parfitt says Wildcraft embraces sustainable measures and will use reusable, recyclable or compostable products.
By using naturally leavened dough that undergoes a longer fermentation time, the duo say it allows the flavor to build, and the bread to be more digestible. Although the bread is chewy and soft on the bottom, it’s also “crisp,” Murphy and Parfitt say in unison.
Enriched with good olive oil, “there’s that browning on the bottom, and it gets that nuttiness, too,” Murphy adds.
The menu at Wildcraft allows diners to choose their own focaccia destiny, presenting three categories. The “toasted” iterations offer flatbreads in their truest form, highlighting the bread itself with options that include roasted garlic and rosemary or olive oil and sea salt, served with dips. More ingredient-driven “topped” flatbreads are laden with chimichurri shrimp or wild and shiitake mushrooms and goat cheese, while “loaded” flatbreads present a slab of the house-made focaccia generously adorned with anything from roasted poblano peppers and potatoes to classic pepperoni.
“Essentially it’s pan pizza,” Murphy says with a laugh. “It’s different but familiar.”
All versions of the dimpled bread with Italian roots will be available in single or quarter slices, in addition to half (serving three to four people) or whole sheets (serving six to eight). The Vegetarian Muffaletta on sesame seed focaccia with house-made giardiniera and the New Jersey Bacon, a fried Taylor pork roll with a hard-fried egg and American cheese can be found under the sandwiches section of the menu. Other dishes include soups, salads and sides, plus pies and tarts for dessert.
Wildcraft will also offer beer and wine along with local provisions, and the partners say they hope their forthcoming venture becomes a refuge for the community.
“We wanted it to be really simple, comfortable and organic with a lot of plants around and want people to feel like they can hang out here,” Parfitt says. “Like a third space.”
Wildcraft Foccacia Co. will be open Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
