A Baker's Dozen: Owners of Isabel's Bakery Defy Skeptics in Their 13th Season
By Jack Byrne
Some might say that all summer vacations must come to an end, but the sisters of Isabel’s Bakery & Cafe in Avalon had a different idea.
“‘You can’t work at the shore forever,’” Justine and Rhianne Lowe jokingly recall people telling them. “We were like, ‘Bet,’” Rhianne says.
In 2014, the Lowe sisters placed their bets and decided to do what others told them they couldn’t: Work at the Jersey Shore permanently. Thirteen summers ago, the previous owners of Isabel’s, a staple of Avalon since 2001, decided to move on from the restaurant. Despite being recent college graduates at the time, the close-knit Lowe sisters saw the opportunity of owning and operating a business on the island as no-brainer.
“For as long as we can remember, we always talked about having our own business here,” Justine says.
The sisters’ family frequently spent their summers staying in Avalon with their grandparents on 71st Street, which sparked their dream for an endless summer. “Avalon was the one place that was constant in our lives,” Rhianne says. “We would always brainstorm what we could do to make it work down here … Sitting on the front porch of our grandmom’s house, just wondering what business idea could get us to stay down here.”
Running a bakery appealed to the pair who are only a few years apart in age, not only because of their passion for baking, but particularly because it was something that they could accomplish together.
“We can basically read each other’s minds,” Justine says. “We have similar values, the way in which we work is similar, so it’s nice to have someone that you work with that you can trust so much.”
“It’s actually a bit of a blessing,” Rhianne says. “We were super young when we started, but we were able to be each other’s support system. It’s definitely challenging because …”
“We’re sisters,” Justine chimes in.
“And you can’t really hide much from each other,” Rhianne continues.
The dynamic duo often finishes each other’s sentences, which is no surprise considering how seamlessly the two are able to conduct business at Isabel’s. While both sisters possess beaming personalities and an affinity for baking, the role of front-of-house manager fit Justine’s expertise, while Rhianne’s background in the culinary industry prepared her for the position of head chef.
“I work with everything that comes through the back door, and [Justine] works with everything that comes through the front door,” Rhianne says. “That’s helped with our working relationship because we have different territories in the store. When we first started, we tried to collaborate on everything, and it would get tough because we both wanted to be in on every decision, but as the years went on, we realized that we needed our different domains. It works out great that she can worry about the facade, and I can worry about baking.”
As the Lowe sisters have discovered how they work best over the years, the bakery and cafe grew in popularity … but not in the way they expected.
“The demand for breakfast sandwiches and iced coffee has really shifted in the years since we’ve had the business,” Rhianne says.
“We’ve expanded off of everything since then,” Justine says. “It definitely used to be a majority bakery, but now people really like casual items to go. So, breakfast sandwiches, lunch, and salads are really popular now, too.”
Isabel’s opens its doors at 7am daily during the summer. The breakfast sandwich offerings include the classic bacon, egg, and cheese (or just egg and cheese) on a bagel; a Jersey Shore staple pork roll, egg, and cheese on a kaiser roll; and a European-style “Pesto Manifesto,” which is a croissant topped with a pesto spread, egg, and provolone cheese. If those combinations weren’t appetizing enough already, guests can customize their breakfast experience by building their own sandwich out of any of the previous ingredients and can also throw breakfast sausage into the mix.
Along with adapting to the popularity of breakfast items made to go, Isabel’s has also expanded its serving hours for both breakfast and lunch. Breakfast previously ended at 10am but is now served until 1pm, and lunch is served from 11am to 1pm, when the bakery closes. The overlapping breakfast and lunch schedule has been the perfect middle ground for Jersey Shore-goers of all ages, who often have different eating schedules, especially while on vacation.
“Isabel’s used to be a little bit more of a sit-down, low-key lunch spot,” Rhianne says. “But we recognize that people are trying to get their stuff, go to the beach, and get back to their houses with their families. So, it’s a little more grab-and-go than it was when we first started.”
To this day, customers are still discovering all that Isabel’s has to offer. The breakfast crowd marvels over the lunch menu, and the lunch crowd appreciates all the available baked goods. Although the business has focused on serving breakfast and lunch orders in recent years, Isabel’s bread and butter remains its bakery.
Isabel’s operates as a full-service bakery, offering numerous types of warm pastries, fresh breads, and cakes for special occasions. But according to their customers, nothing beats their “showstopper” crumb buns, decadently layered breakfast pastries hyper-local to the Northeast U.S. with a thin cake base and a thick layer of sugary cinnamon streusel crumbles topped with a generous dusting of powdered sugar. Isabel’s crumb buns are so popular that the business has even coined the slogan “Sweeter by a Crumb Bun.”
Isabel’s tasty treats are handmade by the hardworking staff of about 30 to 40 seasonal employees. “We got a good crew,” Rhianne says. “It takes a lot of people to run this ship.”
Along with the constant support of their staff and each other, the Lowes’ extended family of 19 cousins have helped out every step of the way. “There are less cousins that haven’t worked for us,” Rhianne says. “Now we have cousins’ kids working for us. The list of people who haven’t worked for us in our family is short.”
The Lowe sisters credit their love of baking to their parents. Their mother often taught them cooking skills in the kitchen, while their father frequently baked elaborate birthday cakes for the Lowe children.
As their father baked in his free time, his full-time work obligations moved the Lowe family around the world. Justine and Rhianne went to middle school in Ankara, Turkey and high school in Taipei, Taiwan. Now living stateside, the sisters still frequently travel, often trying to learn from other cafes and bakeries around the world.
Justine and Rhianne have been to cafes everywhere from Mexico City to Paris, and while these places have had some influence on their restaurant, there’s something about the consistency of the Jersey Shore that appeals to them, and their customers.
“While we do like to try new things at Isabel’s,” Rhianne says, “we find that a lot of people are just super excited to come back and get the things that they just love so much from growing up or that they share with their family every year.”
Year after year, families continue to get their morning eats and afternoon sweets at Isabel’s. Where they started versus where they’re going makes the Lowe sisters feel humbled in their baker’s dozen season No. 13.
“When we look back to our first year to this year now, the way it’s evolved over the years, we’ve kind of had a proud-father moment,” Justine says. “This has come so far from our first year with our big learning curve, to where we are now, and how well things are running … We know we can solve the problems that come up. Looking back, we were young and we were nervous, but it’s also cool to see how far we’ve come.”
“We love working with each other as sisters,” Rhianne says. “We’re so happy for all of our family support … We love everyone who’s ever walked through our doors and been with us over the years. For the people who have seen us grow: Thanks. Because there’s been a lot of growth here.”
The future of Isabel’s looks bright and will surely taste delicious. And as for the Lowe sisters’ plan to work at the Jersey Shore forever, so far, so good.
“We showed them,” Justine says. Rhianne adds, “Here we are, living the dream.”