Around Brimfield: Happy 10 years to Brimfield Bread Oven

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2026!

Happy 10th anniversary to the Brimfield Bread Oven!

“Dreams do not come true just because you dream them. It’s hard work that makes things happen. It’s hard work that creates change.” -Shonda Rhimes

In the summer of 2014, Bill and I met a darling young couple at the Brimfield Farmers Market selling bread and pizza. They had a small wood-fired oven built on a trailer and a wild dream of opening a wood-fired oven micro bakery and pizzeria in Brimfield. Jud and Genevieve Smith turned their wild dream into a dream come true, but it took a lot of hard work!
After finding a space to rent in early 2015, Jud and Gen, with the help of family and friends, spent nine months transforming the space into what it is today. The oven was built with 37,000 pounds of bricks. That’s a lot of bricks!

Opening the doors on January 6, 2016, our son, Dan, was their first customer. He had literally camped out so he could claim that honor. His dollar still hangs on the wall. He was greeted by a small team of eight employees, nearly half of which were family members (more than half if their parents, who were not paid, were counted). Along with their regular bread offerings, pizza night was almost every day, which was moderately insane. They both worked long hours the first couple months, Jud working over 120 hours each week and Jen working about 100 hours. By April, five more employees were hired. They worked really hard!

Since opening the bakery, Jud and Gen have had two children, the first one entering the world three months premature at the end of 2018. About one year later, covid hit and the Brimfield Bread Oven was forced to operate about a year and a half without allowing customers into the building. While getting back in the rhythm in the second half of 2021, they noticed some rapid deterioration of the oven and decided to replace it with a gas oven. It took four people four days to disassemble and move 37,000 pounds of brick and another week cleaning and repairing the space for the new oven. In an impressive one month’s time, the new gas oven which is 1.6 times larger in capacity, is up and running, and the amount of time gained each day by not having to fire it all night is substantial. Jud and Gen credit their hard-working staff for their contribution to the success of the bakery. It has been a lot of hard work!

Beginning on their 10th anniversary, January 6, the Brimfield Bread Oven will add Tuesdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. to their weekly scheduled days. To celebrate their anniversary, everyone who visits the bakery on January 6 will receive a free cookie and bread token. The menu will include favorites including egg Danish, pretzels, and pretzel croissants. Be sure to check out their Instagram and Facebook posts for nostalgic photos and videos. Congratulations on turning your wild dream into a reality, and best wishes for many more successful years!

“Celebrate endings – For they precede new beginnings!” - Jonathan Huie

Join All Pro Sports & Creations as they celebrate a new beginning with their Grand Re-Opening ribbon cutting at 11 a.m. on January 12 in the Brimfield Plaza. The custom apparel store offers apparel for sports activities, spirit wear, family reunions, non-profits, as well as any type of business. With the new location, they will be offering an expanded line of apparel to include fun/funny shirts for everyday wear.

Brimfield Township news

Kevin Scott assumed his new role as a Brimfield Twp. trustee at the first meeting of the year on January 2nd. Highlights from the meeting included organizing board assignments, which included Nic Coia as Board Chairman and Kevin Scott as Board Vice Chairman. A full list of liaison assignments and committee appointments should be forthcoming on the township website. There was a discussion about the need to make the township website more informative and user friendly.

Dates for the 2026 trustee meetings will be on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month (with three exceptions on Tuesdays). All meetings will be held at 7 p.m. at the town hall. Trustee meetings for January and February are:

Jan. 5, 7 p.m. (Mon.)
Jan. 8, 7 p.m. (Thurs.) – Zoning Commission Meeting
Jan. 20, 7 p.m. (Tues.)
Feb. 2, 7 p.m. (Mon.)
Feb.17, 7 p.m. (Tues.)

Brimfield Historical Society

Jan. 17, 1 p.m. – Fireside chat with Chick Sprague in the McCormick Heritage room at the Kelso House. Chick, a longtime resident and Brimfield trustee, will be talking and answering questions about his many years living in Brimfield. Pastries and coffee will be served.
Jan. 18, 1-4 p.m. – Kelso House Museum will be open to the public.

Brimfield Young At Heart

Jan. 9, 12 p.m. - Bag lunch at the Brimfield Twp. Community Center at 4538 Edson Rd. Bring your lunch and a drink. Friends are welcome. A board meeting will be held at 10:30 a.m.
For information about the Young At Heart Club, contact DonnaRae Flanary at 330-592-4318 or donnaraeflanary@yahoo.com.
Brimfield Branch Library

Jan. 5, 5-6:45 p.m. – All Ages Crochet – Learn to crochet for absolute beginners. For ages 9 and up. Limited to 6 participants.
Jan. 5, 5-6:45 p.m. – Build Your Own Frosty the Snowman -Hands-on craft session for adults. No experience necessary. Limited to 10 participants.
Jan. 6, 5:30-6:45 p.m. – Beginner’s Yoga with Judith for adults. Bring a yoga mat, water, and comfortable clothing. Some mats will be available. Limited to 12 participants.
Jan. 9, 5-5:45 p.m. – Movie Talk: Action movie discussion for adults. Get together with fellow film lovers to talk about your favorite action movies.
Jan. 12, 12:30-1:30 p.m. – Lego Freebuild session - STEAM event for children/tweens - Limited to 10 participants.
Jan. 12, 5-6:45 p.m. – All Ages Crochet – Learn to crochet for absolute beginners. For ages 9 and up. Limited to 6 participants.
Jan. 13, 5:30-6:45 p.m. – Brimfield Book Club: “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier - Join our Book Club featuring everything from exciting new fiction to the best titles from past years!
Jan. 14, 10:30-11:00 a.m. – Baby & Me Storytime
Jan. 15: 4-5:45 p.m. – Trivia Night – Join in for a night of brain-teasing fun and prizes! Come solo or with a team. For adults.
Jan. 16, 10:30-11 a.m. – Winter Family Storytime with ages up to 5 years.
Jan. 16, 1-2 p.m. – Mario Kart Tournament - Race your friends in Mario Kart 8 on the Nintendo Switch and win prizes! Intended for ages 10 and up. Limited to 8 participants.
Jan. 17, 12- 2 p.m. – Learn to Paint Miniatures - Learn the tricks of model making and painting miniatures figures. For adults.
Jan. 20, 4-5 p.m. – Learn to Crochet for absolute beginners. For grades 4-12. Limited to 6 participants. All supplies provided. Signups will be for all three days of the class.
Jan. 20, 5:30-6:45 p.m. - Genealogy with Roger Marble - Learn genealogy techniques to find and trace your family's roots. For adults
Jan. 21, 4-5 p.m. – Learn to Crochet for absolute beginners. For grades 4-12. Limited to 6 participants. All supplies provided. Signups will be for all three days of the class.
Jan. 22, 4-5 p.m. – Learn to Crochet for absolute beginners. For grades 4-12. Limited to 6 participants. All supplies provided. Signups will be for all three days of the class.
Jan. 24, 10:30-11 a.m. – Winter Family Storytime with ages up to 5 years.
Jan. 27, 5:30-6:30 p.m. – The Royal Wardrobe – Dressing the Monarchy - Julie Koenig discusses royal fashion, with a focus on the modern era, from Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana to Princess Catherine. There will be a presentation, with time for questions. For adults.
Jan. 28, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. - Timeless Memories Scrapbooking – All-day scrapbooking event for adults. Limited to 8 participants.
Jan. 29, All-day – Craft Swap - Are you looking to start a new craft hobby, or have you decided to take a break from one? Bring your excess craft materials and pick up some from others.
Jan. 30, All-day – Craft Swap - Are you looking to start a new craft hobby, or have you decided to take a break from one? Bring your excess craft materials and pick up some from others.
Jan. 30, 10:30-11 a.m. – Winter Family Storytime with ages up to 5 years.
Jan. 31, All-day – Craft Swap - Are you looking to start a new craft hobby, or have you decided to take a break from one? Bring your excess craft materials and pick up some from others.
Jan. 31, 12-2 p.m. – Crafternoons – Crafting get-together to converse about your crafts and trade tips with others. No skill is required, just a willingness to share knowledge and enjoy working on your crafts.
Jan. 31, 2-4 p.m. – Reading Trophy Case – Build a mini bookshelf with your favorite books. This hands-on workshop will guide you step-by-step through assembling and decorating a mini bookshelf.

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Final Thought - Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go, they merely determine where you start.” ― Nido Qubein

Until next time! Got news? Share it by contacting Shirley Mars at 330-673-0241 or at mars@ohiomars.com