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Breckenridge hometown culinary hero Matt Vawter has done it again. The James Beard Award–nabbing owner of Rootstalk and Radicato opened his third concept in four years on December 28. Threefold Bakery is a collaboration between Vawter and two of his former colleagues, Sean and Melissa McGaughey, owners of Quail & Condor and Michelin-recognized Troubadour Bread & Bistro, both in Healdsburg, California.
The trio welcomed guests on opening day with espresso drinks, fresh-baked kouign amann, miso-glazed pumpkin muffins, oatmeal cream pie cookies, and apple cider danishes, among other traditional and creative offerings.
A half-dozen bakers loaded loaves into the centerpiece steam-injected bread oven, piped vanilla cream cheese frosting onto cinnamon rolls, and stacked trays of finished chocolate chip cookies onto tiers in the front windows of the 22-seat bakery at the corner of Main Street and Lincoln Avenue. Flaky pistachio croissants and a daily selection of bubble-crusted boules and baguettes provided further proof that the mountain town’s pastry and bread game just received a significant level-up.
It’s no surprise, really. Vawter has been impressing hungry Breckenridge locals and tourists with his culinary prowess at Rootstalk since 2020 and Radicato since 2022. The Summit High School graduate attended Colorado Mountain College Culinary Institute in Keystone before cutting his teeth at Keystone’s Alpenglow Stube and the Cellar in Breckenridge. Following 12 years working with chef Alex Seidel at Denver’s sorely missed Fruition, Vawter was tapped by Seidel to be his executive chef and partner at Union Station’s Mercantile.
Since leaving Mercantile in 2020, Vawter has focused solely on Breckenridge. Threefold gives the chef the opportunity to serve a larger part of the town’s residents.
“I’ve wanted to open a bakery in Breck for a long time,” Vawter says. “I’m not blind to the fact that our restaurants are expensive and the frequency with which community members can eat at Rootstalk and Radicato is limited because of that price point. So, I wanted to create something that feeds the people with more frequency and more approachable daily fare.”
The name Threefold refers to the French technique of tri-folding croissant dough and also pays homage to the owners’ long culinary connections, first in Breckenridge and followed by Mercantile and their own respective restaurants. The reunion is commemorated on Threefold’s west wall, where a mural by artist Anna Hileman brings together Colorado and California elements. The owners plan to further the connection between the two states by taking advantage of opposite peak seasons and giving their team the opportunity to work in both Breckenridge and Healdsburg.
“Our orbits are finally fully together,” says Melissa McGaughey. “We’ve come full circle. In Breck, we really feel at home, we want to be a part of that. We want people to get nerdy and chat with our chefs about baking, ingredients, process, coffee beans.”
As with Vawter’s previous ventures, sourcing remains a top priority; he says that Threefold is ingredient- and relationship-driven, with coffee beans hailing from Denver-based Huckleberry Roasters and flour coming from single-origin, Colorado-grown and -milled grains. Morning buns are flavored with local spruce and the danishes sport Western Slope fruits. Look for an afternoon Parisian-style sandwich counter and possible libations to come later this year. 100 N. Main St., Breckenridge, open every day 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Read More: Where to Eat and Drink in Breckenridge
