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SubscribeThe Artist Baker, the handmade bakery and cafe at 16 Cattano Avenue in Morristown, will close when its lease runs out on September 30, 2026. Owner and chef Andrea Lekberg announced in June that she is not renewing it, which leaves Morris County a little over five weeks to walk in, order something, and thank the person who has been feeding that corner of town for 18 years.
Lekberg delivered the news herself in a video posted to the bakery’s Instagram account. “It was a very hard decision, but it was a decision I made,” she said. She was also clear about why she said it in June rather than on the last day. “I’m telling you now because I want the next few months to be able to see all of you.”
Since 2009, everything at The Artist Baker has come out of the shop’s own kitchen. Pies, cakes, cookies, pastries and quiches fill the case, alongside jarred preserves and pickles, and the cafe side sends out sandwiches, salads and soups for the lunch crowd. The daily menu goes up on the bakery’s social pages the night before, which is why regulars tend to check their phones before they check the weather.
The shop is open Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with the kitchen closing at 2 p.m. It sits just off Speedwell Avenue, a few blocks from the Morristown Green, so it folds easily into a downtown afternoon. If you are building one, our guide to the best restaurants in Morristown covers what else is within walking distance.
Lekberg used the announcement to look forward as well. She invited artisans and small business owners to come see the Cattano Avenue space before the lease turns over, saying she wants whoever comes next to get as much out of it as she did. “If you know someone who would like to open up a business, another artisan, have them reach out or come by the shop,” she said.
The response from Morristown was immediate. One commenter called the bakery “irreplaceable.” Another wrote that they planned to work through the avocado toast and the coffee cake between now and the end of September. That is the right instinct. A closing announcement made in June is easy to read and forget, and September 30 is now close enough to put on a calendar.
Morris County still has a deep bench of independent bakeries, and our roundup of the best bakeries in Morris County is a good place to start once the Cattano Avenue case goes dark. Until then, The Artist Baker is open, the kitchen is running, and Andrea Lekberg would like to see you before the door closes for good.
