Ellington’s LuAnn’s Bakery Opens New Hartford Cafe

ELLINGTON, CT — A hometown bakery brand with deep roots in Ellington is opening its newest location in downtown Hartford, marking the latest expansion for a business that has steadily grown across north-central Connecticut.

LuAnn’s Bakery & Cafe is set to open Tuesday at 190 Trumbull St., in Hartford. The downtown cafe is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the first 100 customers on opening day were set to receive a commemorative pin.

Behind the expansion is owner Josh Virkler, who was born and raised in Ellington. After a brief time living in Illinois, where he owned a tea room, Virkler returned to Ellington with his wife and five children and went to work at LuAnn’s Bakery, long known as a popular fixture at the Ellington Farmers Market.

He later helped turn a bigger vision for the business into reality. In March 2017, LuAnn’s opened its first brick-and-mortar location at 238 Somers Rd. in Ellington. A second site, LuAnn’s Coffee and Good Eats Drive Thru, followed in 2020 on West Road in the Big Y Express building.

The business kept growing in January 2022 with the opening of the LuAnn’s Bakery Hub production facility at 420 Somers Rd. in Ellington. That site also serves as the home of the bakery’s dedicated Gluten Free Marketplace kitchen.

In August 2025, LuAnn’s expanded again with a location in Stafford Springs. The Hartford cafe now gives the business another major foothold, this time in the state capital.

LuAnn’s says its products are made from scratch using high-quality ingredients and family recipes handed down from great-grandmothers, grandmothers, aunts and friends, while also mixing in seasonal and daily specials.

The cafe menu includes coffee, pastries, baked goods, breakfast and lunch items, and other drinks. The business also offers gluten-free items produced in its dedicated Ellington kitchen, along with some dairy-free and vegan options.

LuAnn’s has also built ties with other Connecticut businesses through local partnerships. Its breads are sold in several Big Y locations, while other products can be found through businesses including Avon Prime Meats, J. Rego’s Gathering Place, Scandi Shoppe, Willington Pizza, Modern Milkman, Lee’s Auto Ranch and Oak Ridge Dairy.

The operation has grown well beyond a small bakery footprint. According to the business, employees start baking as early as 1 a.m., and at times 30 to 40 team members are working to keep up with demand across its cafe, drive-thru and production operations.