SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The Stoop, the ambitious, multi-level Armory Square spot that blended patisserie with fine dining, will close and relaunch as a new bakery.

The Stoop Kitchen, the restaurant and bar side of the business, closed Monday, Stoop owner Eric Alderman said. The Stoop Bakery Cafe, which occupied the ground floor of the building at 311 W. Fayette St., will reopen as The Scratch Bakehouse.

The new Scratch Bakehouse will serve pastries, such as croissants, danishes, cinnamon rolls, cookies and fruit crumbles, as well as a variety of breads, quiche, baguette sandwiches, soups and salads. Along with the current Stoop location in Armory Square, The Scratch Bakehouse will open at 446 E. Brighton Ave., the former home of Brighton Bakery. A planned expansion to 629 W. Fayette St. fell through after Alderman determined it was economically infeasible to turn the building into a bakery.

“This very sad, but appropriate closing of The Stoop Kitchen gives me the opportunity to focus on the bakery,” Alderman said.

Both locations will reopen Wednesday, July 10.

Corey Bruce, of Bread Home Home Bakery, whose breads and pastries can be found at the CNY Regional Market, Ithaca Farmers Market and coffee shops and cafes across Central New York, was hired as The Scratch Bakehouse’s head baker.

“People will have the chance to have the best bread they ever had,” Alderman said.

In August, The Scratch Bakehouse will start serving pizza at the Brighton Avenue location. If all goes well, they’ll start serving pizza at the Armory Square spot too. Alderman’s history with pizza in Syracuse dates back to 1994, when he opened Slices Pizza in the current Stoop location.

After recent health problems left him unable to give The Stoop as much focus as he wanted, Alderman said he’s excited to build the Scratch Bakehouse from scratch.

"We really love what we do,” he said “We want to make sure we have fun doing it.”

Both locations will be open Wednesday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.. Alderman said the bakeries will soon open on Sundays as well.

Jacob Pucci finds the best in food, dining and culture across Central New York. Contact him at (315) 282-8611, or by email at jpucci@syracuse.com.

Subscribers only: Join an insider text group with Jacob Pucci to get news and updates on the restaurants and cuisines of Central New York. SIGN UP HERE