Viral açai bowls arrive in Northants market town at coffee shop and bakery founded by ambitious chef
Viral açai bowls have arrived at the heart of a Northamptonshire market town at a popular coffee shop and bakery founded by an ambitious chef.
Danny Webster is the founder of The Old Bakery sites in Towcester and Brackley, as well as The Old Fire Station in Brackley.
His journey into the culinary industry began as a military chef for more than 13 years until he left in 2021, after setting up catering and events company Webster’s two years prior.
Webster’s is now the parent company of the three venues in South Northants, but it began as a wedding catering business and Danny secured enough events to be able to leave the military.
He unfortunately lost all his bookings during the pandemic but proceeded to leave his previous career. This is when he launched ‘dine to door’ and delivered afternoon teas and themed tapas dinners to people’s homes during an uncertain time, which got his name out there.
When pandemic restrictions eased, Danny went back to catering for weddings as soon as he could and realised he needed an industrial kitchen to meet the demand for his services. This was around four years ago when he took on The Old Fire Station premises.
The property came with a coffee shop attached and Danny made it his mission to make it a good one, which is when The Old Fire Station was born on Brackley’s High Street. This venue offers breakfast, brunch, lunch and table service.
Whereas, The Old Bakery sites are known to be grab and go with an option to eat in – and the first location of the two launched in Market Place, Brackley. Danny had already outgrown The Old Fire Station kitchen and knew he needed a second premises at this time.
The most recent Old Bakery opened at the end of September last year in Whittons Lane, Towcester and was an opportunity Danny could not turn down. Danny praises Towcester and Brackley as two rapidly growing areas and he has added a unique offering that did not already exist, especially with his fresh sourdough bread.
As it took a couple of years to get The Old Fire Station in Brackley to its level of success, Danny was unsure of how The Old Bakery would initially be received in Towcester but it has continued to go from strength to strength over the first year.
The venue has continued to evolve to meet the demand of the community, which included bringing açai bowls to Towcester last month after the love they have been shown at the sister shop in Brackley.
These are now available daily, with flavours including nutella, biscoff, pistachio and peanut butter, and prices start at £9.95 for these filling bowls.
For anyone who has never heard of an açai bowl, it consists of a thick, blended fruit puree made from frozen açai berries, which is then served in a bowl with delicious toppings.