'Between the Bread' specialties: gourmet breakfast, lunch, cheese and catering

By Laurie Gordon

NEWTON – There's a new gourmet eatery in town: Between the Bread. Located in the heart of Newton, on Spring Street, Between the Bread is a coffee stop and a cheese shop offering fresh breakfast, lunch and Sunday brunch. How do blueberry pancake bites sound? Or pot roast with Gruyere, potatoes and maple mayo? How about a Power Salad or a gourmet cheese and grape platter? They're all at Newton's new breakfast, sandwich, salad, soup, comfort food and cheese extravaganza.
The restaurant is owned by Erin Louglas, who was born and raised in Newton and went to Newton High School. In high school, she participated in concert choir, honors choir and touring choir. She was the choir manager her senior year and was also in student council and peer leadership. Louglas graduated in 2013 and went to Sussex County Community College for two years where she studied liberal arts taking all kinds of classes in math, the sciences, English and literature, public speaking, philosophy, economics and business.
Her culinary background started when she was a little kid. "My family always hosted parties at our house, and I always helped with that. My parents were a big part of the PTC at Merriam Avenue School so we were always cooking for spaghetti dinners, meetings, etc and I was always tagging along helping serve and cook," Louglas said, "I've always known scratch baking because my dad was always making muffins, biscotti, and all kinds of Italian desserts. As soon as I turned sixteen, I worked at a local cafe and I was very inspired by my boss. She was very creative with cooking and catering and I loved watching and helping her." Once Louglas got to high school, she took cooking classes and won the Top Chef competition with the help of three other teammates. "My senior superlative was 'Most Likely to be on Iron Chef,'" she said, "Everyone knew me for my love of cooking. I baked cookies for everyone all the time."
Louglas was a server at a few different local restaurants and worked in bakeries. She attended the Taste of Newton this past summer and saw all the available places to rent along Spring Street. "My boyfriend called me and told me that the old Andre's was going to be for rent, so I went to check it out and fell in love with the dining room. Next thing I knew, I was signing a lease and beginning the process," Louglas said.
She added, "The concept of breakfast, lunch and cheese was a no-brainer for me. Spring Street is surrounded by businesses, working people and families ... all whom need lunch during the work day. Breakfast is my signature. I always tell people to have a good breakfast. It starts off your day the right way, and enjoying it with good company makes for an even better day. Cheese is the secret ingredient to everything; cheese platters are everyone's favorite and cheese makes people happy."
Between the Bread opened its doors on Jan. 13, and as its name suggests, specialties are what's actually "between the bread." Louglas said, "We have a slow-cooked pot roast sandwich topped with shredded potatoes, gruyere cheese and maple aioli. Everyone also loves our roasted pulled turkey, bacon, Swiss, honey and greens sandwich. Our cheddar mac and cheese comes three ways: classic with bacon, shredded buffalo chicken with gorgonzola and celery or taco style with taco meat, tomatoes, onions, sour cream and tortilla. We have fresh quiche, soups and chili every single day. We have gluten-free options, vegetarian and vegan, and we do dairy free to order. Each morning I make banana bread, brownies, cookies, scones, muffins and more bakery items."
Louglas credits her boyfriend, Clark, for helping her with the start up. "He painted, put together all my equipment, tables, chairs, and built me a gorgeous one-of-a-kind stone counter (which everyone raves about). My mom, Lillian, and my sister, Sarah, have helped me tremendously throughout this process. My friends Hannah, Emily and Katie have all been instrumental to the process. Whenever my family or friends have any spare time, they're at my restaurant helping bake and waiting tables for me." Louglas' sister, Sarah, manages the storefront on the weekends while Louglas cooks. Weekdays, she has two of her friends helping each day and, "My mom is always on call and comes in when it gets crazy busy."
Customers are telling Louglas that they have heard wonderful things about her store, and the word is spreading throughout the area. "People are asking us to cater birthdays, bridal and baby showers, and we even have a wedding. I have people ordering gift baskets left and right, cookie platters and snack plates for parties. Word gets out when you have good food and thankfully, people are saying wonderful things."
Louglas chose Spring Street because it's sentimental to her. "I worked here as a teenager, and I love the events and the crowd it attracts," she said, "Spring Street needed a breakfast and lunch place. The one way is excellent for businesses. Customers have an hour to park right outside my door and enjoy lunch. If they plan on spending the day on the street, they can park in the lots really inexpensively. I have two lots very close by, and customers utilize them everyday."
"In my opinion, the best thing about Between The Bread is the fresh and good quality food," Louglas said, "We cook and bake everything fresh every morning, I can be as creative as I want with seasonal produce, and my menu changes every three months to go with the season." She said she doesn't have a fryer and keeps everything "wholesome and healthy." Louglas said, "I want people to come in hungry and leave full but also leave feeling good and nourished." She takes extra care with food prep, for instance, she said, "I massage my kale so it becomes a silky green and its nutrients absorb into your body better. I don't use any fats in my coleslaw. The chicken is grilled immediately before it is served, and all dressings are homemade."
Right now, Between the Bread features some specials for Lent which Louglas said "seem to be a big hit." She said, "The wide variety is what is attracting people. I have stuff for meat lovers, vegetarian, gluten free and vegan. I don't want people to eat my food and feel tired and bogged down, I want customers to leave feeling energized and nourished."
If you want to impress at a breakfast meeting, try Between the Bread's banana bread, scones, mini muffins and granola-bite platters. All are available for pick up or delivery. They also have a Java Box that comes with approximately 20 cups of coffee, cups, cream, sugar and stirrers. Platters and catering are available for events big and small.
Between the Bread, located at 188 Spring St., is open Wednesday through Saturday from 8a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Once the weather warms up, it will open on Tuesdays. Closed Mondays. For information or to place an order, call 973-940-0219, e-mail betweenthebreadllc@gmail.com, go to www.facebook.com/betweenthebreadnewtonnj or Instagram @ between_the_bread.

PHOTO ONE: Erin Louglas, owner of Between the Bread, shows off some of her breakfast goodies.

PHOTO TWO: One of Between the Bread's cheese platters.