Note: Earlier versions of this story had the wrong day for the grand opening.

The long-awaited grand opening of The Warehouse Urban Grocer, 27 W. Cimarron St., is scheduled for Saturday, and no one is more excited than The Warehouse Restaurant owner, James Africano, who is adding neighborhood grocery store operator to his résumé.

“It turned out to be a much bigger project than we had anticipated since January when construction started,” Africano said. “It was estimated to take 100 days, but because of unforeseen construction issues it has taken longer. This is, after all, a 130-year-old building.”

During a sneak peek last week, employees were wiping construction dust from shelves, floors and counters while stocking coolers with the restaurant’s grab-and-go soups, sauces and frozen meals. The market is designed to serve downtown apartment residents and smaller households looking for fresh produce, artisan breads, pastries, desserts and Warehouse’s popular ready-to-heat meals, including Africano’s fried chicken dinners.

“I just placed orders yesterday for fresh produce from local farmers, and we’ve had primal cuts of meat aging in the basement refrigerators, all set to fill the meat cases,” Africano said. “There are shipments of cheese ready to be stocked. We’re ready to open.”

Hours will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/4cb4nwnp.

From groceries to great bread
The aroma of fresh baked goods has returned to 4935 Centennial Blvd., a building that years ago housed Marigold’s Bakery and later Boonzaaijer’s Dutch Bakery. Today it’s home to Nature’s Start Bread Co., where owner Victoria Tandberg bakes artisan breads using one of her prized sourdough starters dating to the Oregon Trail in the 1800s.

“I’ve used this starter for more than 20 years,” Tandberg said. “My husband is retired from the military, but when we were stationed in Hawaii, I developed a sweeter sourdough to use for making brioche and other breads that I don’t want to taste as sour as some of my other breads, like sweet rolls.”

Tandberg’s passion for baking began early.

“When I was about 7, my grandmother gave me some index cards and started teaching me to bake bread,” she said. “She taught me how to make pies, cookies and other pastries. I still use many of those recipes.”

After building a following through her mobile bakery, Tandberg has opened her first brick-and-mortar shop. In addition to more than 15 varieties of bread and other baked goods, she plans to expand the menu with sandwiches and soups. One customer favorite already is her Texas kolache — andouille sausage, jalapeño and cheese wrapped in a brioche sourdough bun.

The bakery is open daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Details: Facebook at Nature’s Start Bread Co. or call 719-675-0464.