Our Story
Seven Stars Bakery, a Rhode Island family owned and operated business, was born out of a true passion for artisan bread and pastry baking and a strong desire to foster meaningful community. Lynn and Jim Williams, the founders, wanted to bake great stuff the old fashioned way, using the highest quality ingredients and craftsmanship, and then welcome customers like guests in their home – and we continue to do just that! They opened our first café in 2001 in a converted gas station on Hope Street on the East Side of Providence. Before long, their vision became a reality and Seven Stars Bakery was the hub of the neighborhood. In order to meet the demand for more seating in the café, they moved baking operations to a separate location in Pawtucket. In 2007, our second café was opened on Broadway on the West Side of Providence, followed by our third in 2009 on Newman Ave in the Rumford section of East Providence (in the former site of the Rumford Baking Powder factory!).
In 2018, Jim and Lynn, ready for a new life chapter, sold Seven Stars Bakery to a group of longtime customers and fans. Sarah Williams (no relation to Jim and Lynn), who had been with Seven Stars for 13 years and was running bakery operations, officially assumed the role of Head Baker. In 2019, we opened our fourth café on Reservoir Ave in Cranston and in 2021 our fifth on Point Street in the Jewelry District of Providence (in the former site of Olga’s Cup and Saucer). Most recently, we have made our way to the West Bay with the opening of our 6th café in the Main Street area of East Greenwich on Cliff Street.
Each Seven Stars Bakery café location is unique but all share that feeling of warmth and community and offer the same delicious breads, pastries, sandwiches, salads and coffee. We are still obsessed with quality: the quality of every item we bake, every coffee we pour and every interaction with our customers.
We are currently an amazing, dedicated, hard working team of over 150, consisting of bakers who work through the day and night, delivery drivers who make sure the bread rack is full each morning and baristas who make the best lattes around. All of us are passionate about what we do and truly enjoy working together.
Whether you are quickly grabbing a coffee on the go, chilling at a table enjoying a croissant and a book, or catching up with a friend over lunch – we want to be the best part of your day!
The Best Bread Bakeries in America | March 2020
From standout sourdough to rustic rye to crackly baguettes, here’s where to score loaves from the best bread bakeries from coast to coast.
Seven Stars Bakery (Providence, Rhode Island)
Since Seven Stars Bakery opened in Providence in 2001, its mission has been simple: Bake great stuff. For head baker Sarah Williams, that means using flavorful, freshly milled flour. Since 2015, all flours are stone milled in-house from grains sourced from Maine Grains, including Glenn (a hard-red spring wheat), rye, spelt and oats — to the tune of 2,500 pounds of flour a week. Additionally, Williams opts not to sift any of the bran off the whole grain flour, yielding flours that are 100% whole grain. Each loaf of bread starts with over 50% freshly milled whole wheat flour and/or a 100% whole rye starter, before undergoing a slow fermentation process. It takes three days for a loaf to reach the bakery shelf, and those slow fermenting starters are what imbue the breads with deep flavor and a hint of natural sweetness, not to mention superior texture and a longer shelf life. Try the signature country bread, a rustic, savory sourdough made from a blend of Glenn and rye flours that has a balanced buttery-earthy-tangy flavor profile. In addition to its Providence outposts, Seven Stars also counts locations in Cranston and Pawtucket, and supplies bread to dozens of local restaurants and Rhode Island universities such as Johnson & Wales and Brown.