Popular Bakery To Open In Greenwich, Share Space With Fjord Fish Market

GREENWICH, CT — Two businesses with strong followings and roots in Fairfield County will soon be under the same roof in Cos Cob.

Fjord Fish Market will move next door from its current, original location and share space at 160 E. Putnam Ave., with Darien-based bakery Flour Water Salt Bread, which will open its second Connecticut location.

The two plan on opening together soon, possibly within the next week, although finishing touches are being made to the storefront and inspections need to be carried out.

Fjord will take up space in the back and offer up fresh fish, seafood platters, sushi and food-to-go, from lobster rolls and fresh fish tacos to crab cake sandwiches, full seafood dinner platters and more.

Flour Water Salt Bread will have a section up front for freshly baked bread, pastries, cookies, bomboloni, cake donuts, tarts, sandwiches, salads and other items. Filter coffee will also be available from Sey Coffee, a Brooklyn, N.Y., roaster.

Co-owner of Fjord Jim Thistle said the new storefront is a little bit bigger. It was formerly also a co-tenancy, occupied by Fleisher's Craft Butchery and Lorca Coffee Bar.

Thistle, who has tried some of Flour Water Salt Bread's offerings at their Darien location at 20 Grove St., knew owner Robert VanKeuren had been looking for a spot in Greenwich for about a year.

VanKeuren began his baking business at Lombardi's in Georgetown, CT, in 2013. The Darien store opened in November 2018.

Thistle reached out to VanKeuren floated the idea of a joint space.

"We're really focused on surrounding ourselves with the best people and with the best products. Rob and Flour Water Salt Bread, they're the best at what they do," Thistle said. "We knew we wanted to be associated with them."

VanKeuren, a former Old Greenwich resident for a number of years, said he's excited to bring his products to Cos Cob and the ever-growing food scene there.

"Flour Water Salt Bread is basically a group of food-loving bakers that make sourdough bread and pastries, and we try to be creative, get inspired by things, try new things, push boundaries and make people smile," VanKeuren said. "I love the community, they're super supportive. I think the whole food scene that's growing in Cos Cob, we just want to add to it.

Greenwich residents have made the short drive to the Darien location on weekends or for special occasions, and VanKeuren said he's gotten plenty of requests over the years to open a bakery in town.

The menu will be exactly the same in Cos Cob as it is in Darien, but the bakery will roll out a new offering soon in the form of bagels.

The two businesses plan on collaborating on a number of menu items. Flour Water Salt Bread has already been baking a special milk bread that's being used for Fjord Fish Market's lobster rolls.

Early future ideas could include a crab or lobster toast on sourdough bread, and different dishes involving seafood and puff pastry, VanKeuren said.

"Collaborating is one of my favorite things to do; to pair with like-minded people who love food and love to be creative," VanKeuren added.

Fjord has five other markets in the area in Darien, New Canaan, Westport, Larchmont, N.Y., and in Brooklyn, N.Y., in Park Slope.

The move for Fjord — albeit a very short one — comes at a time when the brand is launching what Thistle calls "the engine for our future growth."

About a year ago, Fjord started Northeast Fish Co., which serves as a distribution center for all of its fish markets. It's located in the heart of the Fulton Fish Market in the Bronx, N.Y.

"It offers us the opportunity to do things a little bit differently in seafood distribution. We think that there's a lot of mistrust out there with the current distribution cycle. A lot of the best products aren't making it out to market, and the way we produce seafood in this country and in this world has changed significantly over the past 20 years," Thistle said.

When the Fjord markets close at night, they put in their orders to the distribution hub for the next day and fresh fish arrives at 7 a.m., the next morning.

"We think that there are some different business models that would work well in retailing seafood. We're currently in the process of a couple of new initiatives," Thistle added.

Thistle had a career in finance before he acquired what was then Fjord Fisheries with co-owner Mark Scozzafava in late 2012.

Thistle and Scozzafava firmly believe in responsibly sourced fish and helping customers understand where their seafood comes from.

"It's what we hang our hat on. There are a lot of different types of fish out there, and there are a lot of different ratings [for fish] that don't really make a whole lot of sense," Thistle said. "We try to make sense of it for people and bring in the best product, the best thing we think people should be putting on their tables in terms of seafood."

Fjord Fish Market will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Flour Water Salt Bread's hours will be 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., or until they sell out, Tuesday through Saturday to start.