You walk out your front door and pull out of your driveway. Looking in the rearview mirror, you see your parent’s tears and your dog’s confusion as you leave for your home away from home: Hamilton, NY. As you begin your journey, you cannot help but wince at the fact that not only will you be thrown into the unknown of college life in a few hours, but you may never get a good home-cooked meal again. The warmth of a kitchen, the smell of cinnamon and butter melting in the oven, and the serenity of eating at a kitchen table. These little necessities make our mornings easier; they calm us down and make us feel secure as we begin our daily routines.
As we get closer and closer to Colgate, it begins to dawn on us that we are, as Ryan Seacrest once said, “thirty-five miles from nowhere.” Our anxiety heightens. What are we going to do to entertain ourselves? What will we eat? How will we survive? And then, we arrive in downtown Hamilton. Our butterflies subside as we drive past the Colgate Inn, the Hamilton Eatery, and of course Slices. The fright and stress alleviate further as we turn the corner to a new and unfamiliar face around here. A sign that hangs across from the Hamilton Eatery reads, “Flour and Salt Bakery”. It grabs the attention of our nostalgic stomachs, itching for some food that brings the comfort of home a little closer.
Britty Buonocore, who graduated from Colgate herself in 2012, could not stay away from Hamilton for too long. She is now the owner and head baker of Flour and Salt Bakery, which prides itself on identifying themselves as “homegrown”. Bringing homemade treats to Hamilton, while appealing to many of the true New Yorkers who attend Colgate with that affinity for NY-style bagels, Flour and Salt Bakery has already made a name for itself in this small town. They offer a variety of bagel sandwiches topped with mouth-watering accessories like duck egg, Ray Brother’s BBQ pork and bacon, capers, and lox. Depending on the day, a variety of baked goods are made available to customers that satiate those who pride themselves on satisfying his/her sweet tooth early in the morning.
Sarah Phillips, a senior who has the opportunity to work at the bakery alongside Buonocore, sat down with us to talk about the Flour and Salt experience from an insider perspective. Phillips discussed the joy she gets out of working in a bakery that is “a very cool combination of relaxed and exciting.” The moment you walk through the doors, you are greeted with an offensively pleasing aroma of freshly baked goods and smiles. The staff, according to Phillips, consists of hard working, happy people who genuinely enjoy the jobs they do. They show up excited to work each day, which explains their success thus far (seeing as they sell out of bagels nearly every day they are open). Working alongside Buonocore in particular, Phillips finds herself at ease every day.
Phillips stated, “She’s very nice and very driven which makes for a great leader. She has a vision and we help her see it through.” The connections that Buonocore already has being an alumni of Colgate allows her to satisfy so many Hamilton customers and make everyone leave wanting more. Phillips herself recommended trying everything that is on the menu at least once, and do not forget dessert (yes, the vegan cookies are some of the best chocolate chip cookies ever).