Old Waxhaw cottage holds new flavors with artisan bakery Virtuoso Breadworks
Virtuoso Breadworks, a bakeshop housed in a 1940s cottage with weathered gray vinyl siding, has become a gathering place in Waxhaw, serving coffee and pastries on its way to becoming a community fixture.
The business, owned and operated by Lauren and Ben Kallenbach, is known for its clean artisan sourdough breads, made with in-house milled flour and lots of care.
Lauren Kallenbach wanted to create a place where joyful memories could be made through her rum-soaked cinnamon raisin bread and innovative poutine danishes. While many chefs and bakers are inspired to embark upon a career in the culinary arts because of their own nostalgic memories of food, Kallenbach said that her most notable food memory was not one that she wanted to replicate.
“My parents were not good cooks, and my grandparents were not either. I went to my grandmother’s house (one day), who lived right next door to us. She told me that she had some soup on the stove,” Kallenbach said. “I open it up, and there were Sweet‘N Low packets and ants floating in it.
“Some people have these amazing memories of inspiration from their parents (or grandparents). I don’t have that.”
Instead, Kallenbach felt inspired to create her own moments of sentimentality. Kallenbach pursued her culinary education at Johnson & Wales University. She met her husband shortly thereafter, while working at the Ritz-Carlton Reynolds in Georgia before letting their careers take flight. With the hotel group, the Kallenbachs worked for affiliate properties in Saudi Arabia and the Grand Cayman Islands, eventually returning home to Waxhaw, where they would raise their children.
In 2018, the couple opened the Fourth Corner Bakehouse. The concept was rebranded two years later as Virtuoso Breadworks.
Before being repurposed, its current building was a sip-and-paint studio. Kallenbach recalls the floors being covered with glitter when she first moved into the space. An antique fireplace sits in a little room near the right of the front entrance. Almost every step is accompanied by creaking floorboards, begging to tell the stories of the many locals who came before, sharing coffee and conversation. While the building’s historic charm still sparkles, Kallenbach admits that it has created some significant challenges for them over the years.
When the ovens are running, temperatures can reach a smoldering 115 degrees in the kitchen.
“We’ve also maxed out the power. We have to make sure that if we use the microwave, we have to shut off the burner so the power doesn’t trip,” Kallenbach said. “For a long time, I had zero flex for things to not turn out good. … But I had to let up a little bit and accept that the building is what it is, the temperature is what it is and we’re doing our best.”
While many restaurants are opening in newly constructed spaces, Kallenbach said she and her husband have accepted obstacles as part of the adventure, which has helped make them into resilient bakers.
“We have this building that is old and two seconds away from falling on the floor, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Kallenbach said.
The connections that Kallenbach has created with customers have helped push through some of these difficult times, and she hopes that Virtuoso can return the favor.
“Whatever happened to them in that day should just stop for a second in that building so they can enjoy life,” Kallenbach said. Whether they are enjoying their coffee by the fireplace or outside at the picnic tables while their children are playing in the yard, Kallenbach wants guests to feel like the shop is an extension of their own homes.
For Kallenbach, this means she is able to be a part of shared family moments. “There was a mother, a great-grandmother and two little kids [here the other day], and before they ate, they said a prayer. It was so sweet. It took my breath away. It was just a family moment that felt so intimate, but I was kind of a fly on the wall and a part of it. A lot of those moments happen,” Kallenbach said.
Since becoming a mother, Kallenbach shares similar moments with her family and oftentimes draws upon them for inspiration when baking. “Cheese rangoon focaccia came from us ordering Chinese and noticing how much my oldest loves cheese rangoons,” she said.
Of course, Kallenbach considers every element when mixing and kneading, including texture and flavor, and how the final product will come together. In the case of the cheese rangoon focaccia, to give it a little crisp, she sprinkled it with phyllo dough and togarashi.
Despite the ever-changing menu, guests can expect traditional loaves of crusty sourdough and gooey almond croissants, as well as Virtuoso’s signature Valrhona chocolate chip cookie, made with 46% milk chocolate and 64% dark chocolate.
Another customer favorite is the bagel bomb, similar to a cream-filled doughnut. But in this case, bagel dough is filled with warm scallion cream cheese and sprinkled with everything seasoning.
Rotating items might include spanakopita danishes or gochugaru buttermilk cheddar biscuits. Zucchini bread and pimento cheese focaccia made with products sourced from local farmers and purveyors also make frequent appearances.
Virtuoso’s success can be attributed to the use of local, high-quality ingredients, which also includes coffee sourced from local roasters, Enderly and Breezeway, but Kellenbach also credits her passionate and creative employees.
“We just hired a barista because he said that he makes his own coffee syrups at home and he loves coffee,” she said.
Guests can expect to find some new homemade syrups added to the menu soon. “Every team member that has come in has gotten us one step closer to where we want to be,” Kellenbach said.
While Kallenbach admittedly spent many of her early years striving for perfection in the kitchen, her philosophy has since changed. Now she values honesty.
“We’re not going to be perfect and we’re going to mess up,” Kallenbach said. “It’s about owning up when things go wrong.”
During times of criticism, Kallenbach tries to maintain a sense of humor. “There was one really bad review, and (the reviewer) said that he would rather go to 7-Eleven. I got a little frustrated and made a whole menu based on gas station food. We literally bought a slushie machine and made Twinkies and Little Debbies, and it (turned out to be) really fun,” Kallenbach said.
“But for the most part, I take our reviews very seriously. If somebody has something to say, I’m definitely all ears. If we didn’t hit the mark on something, then I want to know about it because it’s only going to make us better.”
For Kallenbach, she wants to continue in the pursuit of exceptional quality. She said, “For us, it is never boring, and it doesn’t feel like we’re not doing anything because we’re always chasing that product to make sure that it’s top tier.”
Virtuoso Breadworks
Location: 205 Salem St., Waxhaw, NC 28173
Cuisine: Bakery, bread, pastries
Instagram: @virtuosobread
