Toaster’s Collective Bakery Leavens Delicious Bread and Community

In the late 2010s, Toni Jonas Silver and Anya Talatinian were talented bakers on the bread team at the formerly beloved, but now defunct Olga’s Bakery on Point Street in Providence. Shortly after Olga’s shut their doors at the end of 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic forced everything to a standstill, upending the dining and food industry. Despite these setbacks, things began shifting into place for Jonas Silver and Talatinian. First, Rhode Island became the final state to pass a cottage food law in 2022, which allowed residents to legally sell homemade baked goods without needing a commercial kitchen space. When Farm Fresh Rhode Island reached out asking if they could sell bread and baked goods at the Armory Park Farmers market, it became the final impetus to put a long-standing dream to motion: starting Toaster’s Collective Bakery.

Toaster’s Collective Bakery had its official public start at the Armory Park Farmers Market in 2023 selling freshly baked sourdough based loaves, chewy bagels, scrumptious cookies, and other seasonal bakery goods that are produced out of an approved home kitchen in Providence’s Olneyville neighborhood. But their business is not just about the food, but also a community-centered business philosophy. “The idea of being a collective is that our business is a group effort where we make decisions together and operate in a non-hierarchical way,” says Jonas Silver. “Toaster’s Collective enables our members to fully embrace their creativity in developing products, while allowing them to keep most of their earnings.”

A collective is an organization that is managed without hierarchy, so every person has equal decision-making power. Some decisions may be delegated, but no one has authoritative power that a manager would usually have. Currently, Toaster’s has about eight members (who are mostly friends with one another). Toaster’s members have full control over what they create and sell, resulting in unique products grounded in passion and innovation.

 

Various baked goods, baos (a soft, wheat-based steamed bun that originated from China that can include various fillings) , and pastries from Toaster’s Collective bakers.

After two successful summer markets at Armory Park in 2023 and 2024, Toaster’s Collective Bakery took a leap forward and had its inaugural debut at the Farm Fresh Wintertime Farmers Market on 10 Sims Avenue (Saturdays, November through May, 9am – 1pm). At the farmers market, their vendor table offers a plentiful variety of baked goods surrounded by multiple bakers and friends there to support and hangout. It is a glimpse into Toaster’s Collective’s special way of joyfully intersecting community and business.

Toaster’s bread truly rivals even the most established local bakeries and are perfect for sandwiches, toasted with butter and jam, or eaten with a warm bowl of soup. There’s “The Plain One,” which is an oblong loaf with a perfectly chewy crust balanced with an airy, light crumb. Their seeded sandwich bread shaped loaf is chock full of a variety of seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, flax, and sesame). The Salted Rosemary is sophisticated and complex. Their breads are sourdough based; the sour notes are expertly moderated and balanced with a highly hydrated, leavened interior. In addition to bread and bagels, they also offer many seasonal and specialty items. One baker was offering Chinese steamed sweet red bean baos and vegetable baos. Baos (rhymes with “cow“ are a soft, wheat-based steamed bun that originated from China that can include various sweet or savory fillings.)

Left to Right: salted rosemary loaves, “The Plain One”, and olive baguettes.

Jonas Silver and Talatinian mentioned that Toaster’s successfully sold nearly all their products at their first Saturday wintertime market. A couple weeks later, crowds swarmed their table and made a dent in their supply early in the morning. Toaster’s is certainly gaining wider recognition and market success. However, in a society that tends to glamorize expansion, scale, and profit, they offer a different, enlightening philosophy for what it means to be successful.

“At the moment, we are not looking to aggressively ramp up. There are so many logistical and financial considerations that it doesn’t feel worth it to us right now,” says Jonas Silver and Talatinian. They noted that expansion often brings higher operating costs, and a likelihood of raising prices, which they want to avoid.

Instead, they are focused on selling their products at the farmers markets, where the accessibility of high customer traffic and sales can benefit their collective’s members in the most direct way. Additionally, Toaster’s is continuing to prioritize mutual aid efforts where they cook and raise proceeds at pop-up events for local non-profits and global community-led initiatives. In November, they raised nearly $1,000 for a non-profit providing food and supplies to displaced individuals in Lebanon impacted by Israeli airstrikes.

Toaster’s Collective Bakery will be at the Farm Fresh Wintertime Farmers Market every other week on 10 Sims Avenue in Providence, Rhode Island, Saturdays 9am – 1pm from November 2, 2024, through April 26, 2025. In the summer, you will likely find them at the Thursday Armory Farmers Market in Providence (at Dexter Park). Follow Toaster’s on Instagram for up-to-date news on special events and pop-ups.

 

Amber Ma lives on the west end of Providence with her husband and two cats. She loves gardening, shopping at farmers markets, and cooking with local and homegrown ingredients. She is also passionate about transit, sustainability, and pollinators. She is a volunteer at the Community Cat Center in Johnston. She and her husband went car-free in 2022 and are always exploring new restaurants in the city by foot, bike, or bus.