Adam Shimer hauled his clothes dryer out of the laundry room to install a second oven. He and his wife Yahaira had agreed to sell sourdough at BAMfest, their first event, but their kitchen only produced two loaves an hour. “We ended up baking for 24 hours straight,” he recalls. They sold out.

The couple behind Crust N’ Crumb moved to Bradenton five years ago after Adam's 25 years in restaurant kitchens. By day, he serves as executive chef at Ringling College of Art and Design. Yahaira keeps the starter alive and mixes dough; Adam shapes the loaves after dinner.

The starter dates to the hurricanes two years back. “I started posting pictures of our horrible sourdough,” he says. A nextdoor neighbor asked whether they sold their bread, so that January they did. Ten loaves one Saturday, then twenty the week after, all out of two Dutch ovens. “No way, I can’t do this much,” Adam remembers thinking. “I thought we’d just be doing this to make a car payment every month.” Last season they baked more than 6,000.

Crust N’ Crumb attracts a line of devotees, a.k.a. “Bread Heads,” at the Bradenton Public Market every Saturday. The traditional loaf sits alongside jalapeño and cheddar, roasted garlic and rosemary and other inventive flavors, each with a crackling crust and open crumb. Sourdough bagels, scones, muffins and cookies complete the offerings.

Early profits went into a new state-licensed trailer, where Adam brings his culinary chops to the menu: toasted bagels with house schmears, breakfast sandwiches and, for cold mornings, chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. The trailer will make a twice-monthly stop at Mixon Fruit Farms market.

Adam can’t predict the rest. “I might have a brick-and-mortar one day. I don’t want one, but if you asked me a year ago, do I want a food truck? I would have said no.”

CrustN'Crumb, Bradenton Public Market, 400 Old Main St., Saturdays 9 a.m.–2 p.m. 847-651-5989, crustn.crumb.fl@gmail.com 

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On Sept. 11, 2026, in support of Hunger Action Month, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) volunteers team up with Feeding Empty Little Tummies, Inc. and other community partners to pack 1,390 backpacks for children in Manatee County, helping ensure local students have nutritious food to take home for the weekend. Together, they’re powering strong communities and supporting families when it matters most. 

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The Pops Orchestra of Bradenton and Sarasota has received a $10,000 grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation (Gulf Coast) to support Hocus Pocus Pops II, a family-friendly Halloween concert designed to welcome new audiences into the excitement of live orchestral music. The grant is made possible through Gulf Coast Community Foundation and the Samuel J. and Susan A. Campbell Charitable Fund, a donor-established legacy endowment. "This gift is possible because of donors who trusted Gulf Coast to carry their generosity forward, long after they were here to see it happen." said Joe Carter, Vice President, Philanthropy for Gulf Coast. "The Campbells gave without restrictions, which means we get to put their generosity right where it's needed, like making sure families can enjoy a fun Halloween concert together. We're honored to steward their legacy this way."  

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Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota presents two 2026 Coltman Chamber Music Competition Grand Prize Winners in October: Trio Sinfonia, October 11 and 12 at the Fischer/Weisenborne Residence; and Synchrony Quartet, October 18 at First Presbyterian Church. The trademark Soirée series consists of 4:00 p.m. concerts presented in the one-of-a-kind music room of the Fischer/Weisenborne residence. Trio Sinfonia opens the season and this series on October 11 and 12. Grand Prize winner of the Senior Division/String and Piano category of the 2026 Coltman Chamber Music Competition, Trio Sinfonia was born out of the chamber music department at the New England Conservatory. The ensemble unites three passionate musicians who share a deep love for chamber music: Isabella Ling Sun, violin; Ching-Yu Tseng, cello; and Daniel Chen-Wang, piano. 

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Sarasota Opera’s DaCapo Society invites Sarasota’s younger arts patrons aged 21-45 to go “Behind the Seams” at the Fall Season launch party: Cocktails, Costumes andConnections on Thursday, October 8, 2026 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. The evening will include appetizers, an open bar, and a behind-the-scenes tour of Sarasota Opera’s renowned costume warehouse led bylongtime resident costume designer Howard Tsvi Kaplan, highlighting this season’s newest designs. The event is free with advanced registration and open to DaCapo members as well as those curious about joining the young opera-lovers group.

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Sarasota Paradise will turn Premier Sports Campus pink on Saturday, October 10, when the club hosts Richmond Kickers for Pink in Paradise, a special Breast Cancer Awareness Night dedicated to honoring survivors, supporting those currently fighting breast cancer, and raising awareness throughout the local community. The initiative will see Sarasota Paradise partner with the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, a statewide nonprofit at the forefront of Florida’s fight against breast cancer for more than 30 years through research, education, and advocacy. Funds raised through Pink in Paradise will directly benefit Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Sarasota Paradise will donate a portion of every ticket sold in the East Stand for the October 10 match to the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, providing another way for supporters attending the game to contribute to the campaign. 

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Sarasota’s biggest celebration of local businesses is back and nominations open October 7!

The Best of SRQ Local Readers Competition celebrates the locally owned restaurants, shops, arts organizations, people, experiences and can't-miss spots that make our community one of a kind.

If your brand is ready to get on the ballot, now is the time to start rallying your customers, clients and community!

Nominations open October 7, 2026

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