First things first: Black Water Bakery isn’t named after the nearby refuge. For Jamie Summers, it’s all about black water — coffee. Speaking of which, caffeine has always been the driving substance at the popular Cambridge eatery Summers owns with her husband Brett, from servers zipping around the crowded tables to customers fueling up to meet their days. The chemical formula for caffeine can be found on the wall, and if you look closely, it’s on the floor too.
And that jolt of energy has fueled more than just mornings — it’s powered the bakery’s rise since 2017. Since then, it has doubled in space, survived COVID-19, honed and expanded its menu to become a community favorite, and established a reputation for serving some of the best breakfasts in town.
Jamie fell into running Black Water somewhat accidentally. An initial tenant bowed out after only a few months, leaving Brett with a fully-finished restaurant and no one to run it. Would she? Despite having three school-aged children, she agreed, and has never looked back — spending every day on site, keeping the menu fresh, mentoring the staff, managing crowds, and mitigating the occasional snarky review.
Today, Black Water is the longest-tenured restaurant in town, with honors like the People’s Choice Award at Taste of Cambridge and ‘Best Bakery’ on the Eastern Shore. It’s become a centerpiece of a revitalized downtown and an appealing employment gig for local young people.
Sitting down with The Spy, Jamie reminisces about the early days and talks about how Black Water has gradually earned its place as a Cambridge institution, the place to go for breakfast.
The video is approximately eight minutes long.
Jamie and Brett are not only great people to know but they also care a lot about the community and serving excellent fare. They deserve all the accolades they are reaping of their investment and hard work. I know Cambridge is proud to have them.
Are they really longer tenured than portside and ocean odyssey? Overlook Cafe? Cindy’s Kitchen? Don Chuy? All the Hyatts eateries? Carmellas Cucina?
Just now, I realized you might be speaking of all the eateries specifically on Race and Poplar or maybe all breakfast places. Anyhow, I just think other restaurants might take umbrage and I love to give them all credit….
It’s such a sensitive topic for restaurateurs!
Thanks for all your reporting really!
Dorothy