Elemental is the newest addition to York Street Yards at 3821-3893 Steele Street, which houses a variety of businesses including several commissary kitchens, offices, a warehouse, a salon, a gym, Czech brewery Cohesion and the 50,000-square-foot dog haven Skiptown.
Wright, a former engineer, altered her plans to move for her husband's job after the pandemic. She stayed home with their three school-aged children, but once in-person classes resumed, Wright decided to take the opportunity to change directions in a big way.
"Thinking back to what I really liked to do. ... I loved working in a coffee shop [in college], it was a fun time and I like to meet and talk to everyone in the morning," recalls Wright. So instead of going back into engineering, she opened a coffee trailer called the Beeler Perk and met lots of neighbors — including many who told her about the Bosnian Baker.
Obhodas, a former personal trainer, was re-introduced to his love of pastries when he and his family visited his homeland of Bosnia in 2018. "I hadn't been there in fifteen years, and it reignited this passion to bring really good baked goods to Denver," he says. When he returned to the States, he began baking different Bosnian recipes out of his house and sharing them with neighbors. Soon, people began asking him how much he would charge for a loaf of bread. "I guess I can make money out of my passion," he recalls thinking. "So I purchased a bigger oven and walk-in fridge to ferment more dough, and it kept snowballing from there."
Although the combination of baking and personal training may seem counter-intuitive, "We're using high-quality materials to make a high-quality product from scratch — nothing is processed, most of it's good for you — but everything in moderation," Obhodas notes. Plus, he adds, both baking and fitness make people happy.
Cindy Wright decided to open a coffee trailer after quitting her job as an engineer.
Elemental Bakery and Coffeehouse
In 2021, Wright was running her Central Park coffee trailer and Obhodas was deep into cottage baking as the Bosnian Baker in the same neighborhood. The two were introduced through mutual customers and immediately connected over their shared passions. Wright began selling Obhodas' baked goods at her trailer and they sold out every time. When the opportunity to open a brick-and-mortar at York Street Yards came up, Wright knew she wanted to include a bakery in the space.
Elemental joins the development with 2,500 square feet. The increase in size means there is plenty of room for a coffee bar and a bakery, plus space for seating and retail.
"We trust each other — I believe that’s really important, that mutual understanding and mutual trust, and at the end of the day we do have to make a great product, make people happy and have fun while doing it," says Obhodas.
Cinnamon rolls are a specialty of Suni Obhodas, a self-taught bakery from Bosnia.
Elemental Bakery and Coffeehouse
"We really like the name Elemental because everything starts with an element, and when you put those things together, a lot of times the elements retain what they are and all together they come together," says Wright. "We built the shop off of that [idea]." She adds, "When you go to a coffee shop, often the pastries are kind of a second thought, or vice versa. At Elemental, both things will be focused on and highlighted."
Elemental has partnered with Queen City Collective Coffee to create an Elemental Blend for espresso and drip coffee, and the team plans to highlight other local roasters for their pour-overs.
The baked goods are highly influenced by Turkish culture, so in addition to homemade baguettes and cinnamon rolls, baklava will also be on the menu, as well as grab-and-go sandwiches.
Elemental Bakery & Coffeehouse is located at 3875 Steele Street and is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit elementalbakeryandcoffee.com.
