The Bagel Shop

Monica Chatterton, owner and operator of Flake Baby Pastry —  the wildly delicious cottage bakery known for its signature flakes (like Pop-Tarts, but 1,000 times better), inventive cakes and fun variety boxes — has signed on to create and run a pastry program for The Bagel Shop‘s flagship brick and mortar to be located at 1501 S. Main St. in downtown’s SoMa district. The announcement comes on the heels of The Bagel Shop adding restaurant industry veteran McNeill Eggart to its team. Eggart most recently worked at Raduno Brick Oven & Barroom.

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“We couldn’t be more thrilled to have Monica as part of our team! These partnerships line up perfectly with our mission of building a strong community of bakers and service industry professionals with Arkansas roots,” said Myles Roberson, co-owner of the Bagel Shop. “Monica’s dedication to her craft, her creativity, and her modern flavor choices make her the perfect fit to lead The Bagel Shop’s pastry program. This is a big step for us and we’re ecstatic to continue to build out our dream team,”  Roberson added.

A press release from The Bagel Shop said that Flake Baby fanatics need not worry. Chatterton’s baked creations will be available at The Bagel Shop very soon.

Flake Baby Pastry

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“Flying solo these past few years has been deeply rewarding and taught me so much, but I’m super excited to join a team of passionate and talented folks who will push me to continue to grow and learn,” Chatterton said.

In addition to Flake Baby Pastry’s traditional offerings, Chatterton said she is looking forward to creating her favorite nostalgic pastries with modern twists. “I’ve been lucky enough to build a successful business within the confines of cottage law, but I’m really looking forward to getting back into a commercial kitchen where I’ll be able to thrive creatively. Also, BIG thanks and shoutout to my amazing friends and customers who have supported my journey as Flake Baby Pastry, it’s kept me going through the pandemic and been a joy to meet so many incredible people. I can’t wait to keep baking for y’all!”

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Trevor Papsadora, co-owner of The Bagel Shop, said he was elated when Chatterton agreed to join the project. “Monica and I have connected through our shared love of food on both a personal and professional level. She’s doing an amazing job of bringing cool stuff to Central Arkansas. She’s a total badass, and I’m excited to share our kitchen with her! It’s funny, Flake Baby Pastry was an Instagram account that Myles and I both followed before we moved back to Arkansas. I’ve been admiring her work for a long time, you can tell she cares a whole hell of a lot.”

The Bagel Shop began in July 2022 as a farmers market pop-up bagel operation that soon became a Little Rock phenomenon, bringing in long lines and crowds to their pop-ups despite brutal summer temperatures. When The Bagel Shop announced the news about the SoMa storefront in January of this year, Roberson and Papsadora said they hoped to be open by early summer and and plan on serving breakfast and lunch five days a week, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Thu.-Mon.

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Flake Baby Pastry has been the one-woman cottage bakery run by Chatterton out of her home in North Little Rock for the past five years. Chatterton is sunsetting Flake Baby for the time being but isn’t closing the door forever. You can check out her delicious Instagram here www.instagram.com/flake_baby_pastry to keep up with Monica’s food goings on in and out of the Bagel Shop kitchen.

The Bagel Shop currently operates out of a commissary kitchen in Little Rock Arkansas and offers catering services, pop-up bake sales, and bagels & cream cheese for pick up on Thursdays and Saturdays in the parking lot of their soon-to-open location at 1501 South Main Street. You can find more information and sign up for the email list at www.thebagel.shop or find out all of the latest details on Instagram at www.instagram.com/thebagel.shop .