New York Pastry Chef with Deep Nashville Roots to Open Downtown Bakery This Summer

David Andrews, a Nashville native who moved back from New York City in late 2016, will open his first bakery, D’Andrews Bakery & Cafe, downtown this summer. Located just north of Broadway at 555 Church St. (in the space previously home to Grillit), construction began in February, and Andrews says he hopes to open the new space “within the next six weeks.”

The bakery will feature full coffee service, a wide variety of pastry and confections — think croissants, macarons, eclairs, and other French bakery classics — as well as some of Andrews’ visually-striking desserts. Lunch offerings will include salads and sandwiches — and the restaurant will bake its own bread. “I’d like to create a modern bakery with Southern sensibilities,” says Andrews.

Though D’Andrews Bakery & Cafe marks his first solo venture, Andrews has serious pedigree as a pastry chef. Working in New York for over a decade, he began his career with several years at West Village staple Gotham Bar & Grill. He crafted high-concept, creative desserts at several other Manhattan restaurants before a lengthy stint at the upstairs lounge of the Kimberly Hotel, where he briefly served as pastry chef before taking on the role of executive chef.

The space itself, which will be light and airy with a blue and white color scheme and plenty of natural light, will have four or five tables inside, as well as a dozen or so bar stools around the edge of the shop. A couple of outdoor cafe tables will flank the entrance. The bakery’s tentative hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays, with plans to eventually open on Sundays as well.