Carbs & coffee - 2 legally addictive substances are available here at Mel in a variety of forms. There's been a lot of hype surrounding this 2024 James Beard award semi-finalist (bakery category). I finally made it here and doubted that it could live up to the hype. Oh ye of little faith. One bite of their ham and cheese croissant was all it took to make me a member of the cult. It's hard to explain but I think our palates understand when someone crafts our food. Their cultivated knowledge and skill is in the food. Back to the croissant. The initial crunch of puff pasty giving way to an airy middle layer then the substantive salt of the ham intermingled with bits of caramelized cheese; it's good stuff. Now imagine it still slightly warm from the oven. Yeah, you get me. I'm not proud of this but I housed that croissant in less than a minute in the relative privacy of my car. The same can be said of the sourdough baguette. Simple yet so satisfying; the differing textures of crunch and chew and the tang of the dough are worth savoring. The place, as one could imagine, was busy. Word gets around. Their staff, however, has its system in place to bring order to what could otherwise be a chaotic space. It's clean in there, some merch available (aprons?, bagged coffee) in front, a display of baked goods near the rear of the store, a menu of coffee/espresso drinks above the display. Efficient with an industrial chic feel. I don't live near Hudson but I would make the drive there for a special treat. Thanks for moving up to Hudson to share your gifts with us, Mel. read more