Former Concert Pianist Jennifer Marshall Opens Small-Batch Sourdough Bakery in Newmarket

Jennifer Marshall announced plans to open a small-batch artisan sourdough bakery on Newmarket’s High Street within weeks, a move likely to deepen the town’s growing indie food scene and give local eaters a new spot for naturally leavened bread and seasonal fare.

Marshall is a self-taught baker who built a following in town through the Newmarket Sourdough Hub and previous work overseas; she ran a micro-bakery in Malta before turning her focus to Newmarket. Her transition from a former career as a concert pianist to artisan baking is part of the bakery’s narrative and informs its approach: attention to craft, a small-team operation, and an emphasis on quality over volume.

The bakery’s core offerings will center on naturally leavened sourdough loaves, accompanied by pastries, focaccia sandwiches and soups made with locally sourced ingredients. Marshall has stated an intent to emphasize seasonal flour and produce where possible, signaling close ties with area millers and growers and a menu that will shift with harvests. For bakers and eaters who track grain provenance and milling practices, that seasonal focus will be one practical reason to stop by.

For the community, the opening is timely. Newmarket has seen an uptick in small-business activity, and a focused, small-batch bakery fills a niche between farmers’ market sellers and larger commercial bakeries. Marshall’s setup—limited daily batches, a rotating menu and locally sourced inputs—means customers should expect short runs and the kind of freshness that vanishes by the afternoon. That model also tends to support nearby producers, creating a ripple effect for the town’s food economy.

Practically, locals can look forward to a neighborhood spot for morning bread, grab-and-go lunches featuring focaccia sandwiches, and warming bowls of soup through winter and into spring. Bakers interested in Marshall’s methods will likely find value in seeing a practitioner who moved from hobbyist and micro-bakery operation to a public storefront; her presence reinforces sourdough as both a craft and a local business opportunity.

As opening weeks approach, the arrival of Marshall’s bakery will offer Newmarket another place to buy naturally leavened loaves made from seasonal, local ingredients and to support the town’s small-business upswing. Expect small batches at first, a rotating menu tied to local harvests, and a new anchor for the community’s sourdough conversations.