Scones with a passion

by guest blogger Rich Baringer

The first thing that you notice when walking into J. Scones bakery in Doylestown is the incredible aroma. It’s just how a good bakery should smell. All sorts of scents hit you—chocolate, fruit and that good old “baked goods smell.”

Once your knees stop wobbling and your vision clears, you notice the size of the shop. It’s tiny. But it’s filled with a huge assortment of goodies. Cookies of all shapes, sizes and flavors. Beautiful cakes and cupcakes. And, of course, scones. Enough flavors to boggle your mind.

I’m sure you’ve had scones before. But chances are you haven’t had scones like these. Scones are so often dry and crumbly and dense. But a J. Scones scone is moist and light, filled with delicious chunks of chocolate, dried fruits and other flavors.

Chef and owner Jodi Schad explained how these are “Americanized” scones. English scones are smaller and meant to be eaten with tea and topped with clotted cream or jam. But in this country, people want their scones big, easy to eat and with all the flavors self-contained. So Jodi makes them to fit her customers’ desires—nice, big triangles of goodness. Still, these delicious items aren’t the only thing that makes this place unique.

What really makes J. Scones special—and this might sound clichéd—is passion. Jodi’s passion for making the best baked goods possible is what makes this little bakery stand out. She uses local ingredients because they’re the freshest and best tasting. Her mother and sister make all the jams that she uses. Everything she sells are made from scratch and with great care by Jodi and her bakers, Andria and Chris.

Jodi has been in the food industry for 30 years.  She grew up in Churchville and started a catering business when she was in high school. After getting her culinary degree from Johnson & Wales University, she went on to work in a variety of food jobs around the country. She then came back to Bucks County and opened J. Scones—mostly as a wholesale business.

It was about 11 years ago when word of her scones started to spread thanks to articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer and Saveur magazine. Then on-line retailers like Williams-Sonoma realized the quality of Jodi’s products and she began selling through them. (She recently terminated her contract with Williams-Sonoma after six years due to, let’s call it, “philosophical differences.” They wanted to save money and she didn’t want to compromise quality.)

She found that once the economy started to dip, her mail order business dropped 75 percent but her retail orders were up 300 percent. So Jodi decided to change the focus of J. Scones. Renovations were made this past summer to accommodate for a better retail experience. And although she still does a good amount of wholesaling to local places, Jodi’s concentration is making quality products that you can walk in and buy.

She sells her many flavors of frozen scone dough for $17.50 per bundle – that makes 8 big scones (or get two for $30). Need a holiday gift? They’ll put together any combination of goodies that you want. If a beautiful decorated cake is what you’re looking for, they’ll give you one that’s perfect for your needs. In fact, whatever you ask for, chances are they’ll be able to make it for you.

J. Scones looks to offer even more in the future. Jodi hopes to have a website up and running by the spring. In addition to the scone dough, she plans on offering frozen cookie and biscuit dough in the near future. And she anticipates fulfilling another one of her passions—working with young people—by offering classes at the bakery.

J. Scones is open Tuesday to Friday, 8 am – 6 pm and Saturdays 8 am – 3 pm. At certain times of the year, there are some Sunday hours. Stop in soon and you’ll smell, see and taste Jodi’s passion in person.

J. Scones
4119 Swamp Rd. (right behind the Cross Keys Diner)
Doylestown, PA 18901
215.489.9198

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