Image courtesy of August First
 
August First in Burlington, Vermont is a locally-owned bakery café that is dedicated to being unconventional in all the right ways. Having opened eight years ago in a renovated garage, it stresses that it’s all about having fun and providing a warm atmosphere where customers can enjoy great bread.

For those customers who can’t make it into the shop, however, August First also offers bread delivery. “Bread peddlers,” as they’re called, bike through local neighborhoods on certain days of the week and bring bread to the people.

The catch is that the bakery does this at random hours of the day. August First says that this is all in good fun, that part of the experience is the unpredictability of when the delivery service will come through.

“People ask us all the time if they can order ahead, or they’ll suggest we have a tracking device so they can find out where the riders are,” co-owner Jodi Whalen tells Paste Magazine.

“There are very few surprises anymore. Spontaneous joy doesn’t happen as much as it used to when I was a kid, so it’s kind of cool to still provide that for people.”

August First sticks to providing joy to its customers when it comes to its bread. One of the bakery’s most popular breads is its jalapeño cheddar, complete with spicy jalapeños and Vermont’s Cabot Sharp Cheddar cheese. On the more conventional side, the bakery is known for its sourdough and also makes a crispy, airy baguette.