Chabaso Story

The story of Chabaso spans over 30 years of artful breads and dedicated bakers.

Our founder Charles Negaro is actively involved at Chabaso and as passionate as ever about great bread and big ideas.  Now he is turning his focus primarily on healthy bread, especially for school kids. Years ago, after selling his bookstore chain and starting Atticus Bookstore Cafe, he planted the seeds for Chabaso by gathering together some talented graduate students in the School of Art here at Yale, to try to make bread as wonderful as he’d discovered in Europe. One of those artists still works at Chabaso!  Willie Bell – a talented baker and still practicing artist.

Now our long-fermentation, high-hydration, no-shortcuts bread is sold throughout the East and increasingly in markets nationwide, including the Rocky Mountains.  We bake and flash freeze our bread – locking in texture and moisture – then ship to stores where it is finished off so bread lovers can buy it (almost) straight from the oven. For some Tri-State customers (NY, NJ, CT) we bake, pack and deliver it fresh 363 days a year!

Chabaso Timeline

  • 1981 – After years of enduring the stomach growls of bookstore customers, Charles Negaro opens a cafe in Atticus and it becomes Atticus Bookstore Cafe. Included on its menu of quality comfort foods are fresh baguettes baked with care. (Read about it in the Yale Daily News.)
  • 1995 – After a voracious tour of western Europe, Charles Negaro decides to expand his bread offerings and opens Chabaso Bakery, named after his children Charlie, Abigail and Sophia.
  • 1998 – Chabaso expands its distribution to include grocery stores throughout Connecticut, New York City and New Jersey. Kitchen tables throughout the region rejoice.
  • 2001– Chabaso expands from its initial 5,000 sq ft bakery to a 40,000 sq ft facility, still in our hometown of New Haven, Connecticut.
  • 2005 – Chabaso wins its first Best Bread in Connecticut award from Connecticut Magazine.
  • 2009 – Chabaso expands distribution throughout Massachusetts and the Northeast.
  • 2012 – New Haven Farms is founded by Chabaso and a group of New Haven community organizations with the mission of promoting health and community development through urban agriculture. The first farm site is located at Chabaso and uses excess heat from baking operations to heat a hoop house greenhouse. (Read about it in the New York Times.)
  • 2016 – Charlie Negaro, Jr., son of our founder Charles Negaro, takes the helm of our sister business Atticus Bookstore Cafe and launches a bread program focused on regional grains. (Read about it in the New Haven Arts Paper.)
  • 2017 – Trish Karter joins as the new CEO of Chabaso. During her first week of vacation from the job, she sets a record with her 4-woman team for biking across America, and raises money for a women’s health center. (Read about it in the Boston Globe.)
  • 2017 – Chabaso gets a new look! The updated Chabaso branding and packaging help to communicate our flavor profiles, ingredients and processes, and colorful personalities.
  • 2018 – Chabaso launches Bread Breakers, a project that fosters dialogue between people with differing viewpoints on divisive issues.
  • 2019 – Charlie Negaro, Jr., son of founder Charles Negaro, takes over as CEO of Chabaso.
Learn About Our Recipes, Practices And People