Blue Rooster Brings Parisian Feel to Cranbury

When Thomas Wolfe penned the famous line, “You can’t go home again,” he did not know Karen and Bob Finigan, owners and operators of in Cranbury.

Before deciding to open the bakery and café, Karen and Bob lived in Dublin, Ireland. Karen held the position of directing the MBA program at Trinity College while her husband, Bob, honed his skills at one of Dublin’s best culinary schools. He also worked at some of the finest restaurants there, developing his baking skills.

When they learned that the home at 17 North Main St. had become available, the world-traveling couple embarked on their next adventure. The Finigans opened their Blue Rooster Bakery and Café on Sept. 1, 2008.

When one sits amid rich wood moldings and a comforting fireplace, the Blue Rooster recalls someone’s warm and comforting dining room.

“We specialize in service and very good food as well as Bob’s excellent baked goods,” Karen Finigan told me. She went on to state that she and her husband wanted to blend some of the best elements of different European and American cafes.

While I sat there, the yellow and light blue décor echoed the colors of Provance and the ambience reflected an intimate cafe in Paris. Asked if the home at 17 North Main was ever used in the past as a café or bakery, Finigan referred to an historical article that spoke of the home’s history dating back to 1850.

She also noted that her husband, an engineering major at Cornell, was strong in science and math, subjects that are central to baking since measurements and formulae result in great baked goods.

I asked if Bob offered a baker’s special at the end of the day for any unsold baked goods.  “We never sell day-old goods," Karen Finigan said. "We donate all of those items to Skeet’s Pantry here in Cranbury."

The Skeet’s Food Bank operates out of the on Main Street and is managed by volunteers on the third Friday of every month.

With the soothing fireplace still burning, Mrs. Finigan seemed to enjoy sharing the rich history of 17 North Main St. that now continued the long tradition of being one of Cranbury’s unique historical homes. As I lingered near the baked goods, I was drawn to one of the few remaining baguettes and took one home.

If you want to feel as if you are sitting in an intimate European café but can’t deal with the hassles at the airport, visit Bob and Karen Finigan’s and enjoy a relaxing lunch (daily) or dinner (Thursday through Saturday, reservations recommended) . And take a baguette home, too.