Two months ago Homegrown brought in Stephanie Shephard, once of Bakery Nouveau, to steer the sandwich shop into a bold new world: baked goods. A longtime acquaintance of the owners, Shephard's hire coincided with the local chainlet's move to a new HQ and commissary in South Lake Union. (Formerly, the basement of the Fremont store filled this role—a relocation was sorely needed, says co-owner Ben Friedman.)  

There on Dexter Avenue, Shepard is prepping an assortment of goodies: brownies, blondies, vegan apricot bars, muffins, strata, a couple of cookies. In keeping with the Homegrown mantra, the ingredients are organic and the sourcing local. 

The baked goods are intended for the catering arm of things, but soon enough the three stores will stock them, says Friedman (some time this Fall, to be more exact). And then: coffee shop domination. The eventual goal is to wholesale the products to cafes and elsewhere; that time frame is TBD. 

Chances are 416 Dexter Avenue won't become a retail outlet—a catered order pickup window, yes—but Friedman is hoping to open in the neighborhood in due course. Stay tuned.