Jak's, a traditional Bulgarian bakery, opens in Bloomfield
As a freshman at what is now called the Professional High School of Tourism in his native Bulgaria, Zhelyazko “Jak” Latinov studied the standard math, geography and history. He studied English but it wasn’t a core subject. In addition to his regular classes, he attended a technical school where he specialized in baking — learning to make bread and pastries from scratch.
As of Nov. 26, Bloomfield reaps the benefits of that education.
“In Bulgaria you can also learn a profession while in high school,” Latinov said as he stretched dough at Jak’s Bakery, the Bloomfield business he owns with his wife, on a recent Thursday morning. “This was something I could do with my hands, and I really enjoy it.”
He began making desserts for his classmates and teachers as part of the curriculum. Latinov managed and owned a bakery in Bulgaria for more than two decades, after he completed his mandatory Army service following high school.
He and his wife Molly Freedman Latinova (her last name has an extra “a” because the Bulgarian language has grammatical gender like many other languages; it is a feminine ending), met overseas when she was in the Peace Corps. She was working in Latinov’s southeastern Bulgaria hometown, Harmanli, teaching English as a second language for kindergarten through fourth grade.
Freedman Latinova was born in New York and grew up in Washington, D.C. She attended Carnegie Mellon University for graduate school after completing her Peace Corps service.
The couple has two daughters, one who has Down syndrome. They decided to move to Pittsburgh in 2014 specifically for her — they needed medical expertise and services for her that were integrated in a school setting.
Latinov got hired at the University of Pittsburgh as a baker and moved into the head baker position.
“Pitt had the biggest kitchen I had ever seen,” Latinov said.
When they moved to Pittsburgh, they met other people from the Bulgarian community in Homestead. Latinov would make his savory pastry called banitsa — feta in hand-pulled phyllo — for events. The pastry was so popular they rented kitchen space and decided to sell at farmers markets, where they added sweet dessert choices.
When they found a former barbershop space was available in Bloomfield, they decided to open their own business. In the middle of the night you can find Latinov working with the dough so that it’s fresh for customers.
Everything is homemade, from the sweet and savory pastries to the bread. One specialty is the hand-pulled phyllo dough pastries with savory fillings such as ricotta-feta or spinach-feta, a variation of the aforementioned banitsa, and sweet fillings such as pumpkin or apple-walnut.
Savory yeasted pastries, such as cheesy pull-breads, pickle pizzas, and kielbasa rolls, as well as sweet options including Nutella, rosehip jam or halva filled kifla — which is similar to a crescent roll — and pogacha, often called baklava cake, are also on the menu.
Banitsa is a traditional, usually savory pastry, found all over the Balkans and in many other countries, including in the Middle East — though with very different names, Latinova said.
“Pittsburgh has been so welcoming,” Freedman Latinova said. “We make everything fresh and it is so good. You have to try it to believe it. There is something for every taste. The pastries are versatile and work great for breakfast, snacks, lunches, cocktails and happy hours or desserts.”
Everything is outstanding, Sam Stanley of Monroeville said as he waited in line the first week the bakery opened. Stanley discovered the baked goods at a farmers market.
“Everyone in my family loves all of this,” Stanley said. “Whenever I am close to Bloomfield, I plan to stop in. It’s so worth it.”
“When people come into a bakery they are happy and they like to learn about what we make and how we make it,” Latinov said. “I love to talk about everything in the bakery. I knew in high school this is what I wanted to do.”
Jak’s Bakery is located at 4310 Main St., Bloomfield. Hours are 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday
Details: jaksbakery.com
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region's diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of "A Daughter's Promise." She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.
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