Above photo: Carla and Delmar Crimm after a busy day as owners and operators of Bakers Grimm. Consistency, quality, and service with a welcoming smile are the key ingredients to their great success on Main Street in Delhi.
DELHI — On a weekday during lunchtime in Delhi, the steady flow through Bakers Grimm on Main Street tells the story before a word is spoken. Contractors grab sandwiches before heading to job sites, office workers linger long enough to trade news with neighbors, and familiar faces move easily behind the counter. What has emerged here is more than a bakery. It has become a gathering place built on affordability, experience, and a deliberately small business model.
Bakers Grimm is owned and operated by Delmar and Carla Crimm, a husband-and-wife team whose combined backgrounds span high-level culinary management, higher education, plant science, and retail. That experience shapes nearly every decision they make, from pricing to staffing to the size of the space itself.
Delmar Crimm is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and spent decades working in large-scale food service. He served as senior director of the culinary program at Cornell University, overseeing multiple executive chefs and operations producing nearly 19,000 meals a day. Before that, he worked in corporate food service and retail environments where budgets, labor percentages, and cost controls were essential to survival.
That background is precisely why Bakers Grimm is intentionally not a restaurant.
“We kept it small on purpose,” Crimm explained. “That’s how the numbers work.” With limited seating and a streamlined menu, the bakery allows customers to get in and out quickly while keeping overhead manageable. The result is fresh food at prices that working people can afford. Most sandwiches fall between five and ten dollars, often paired with a pastry, a price point that caters directly to Delhi’s workforce.
“We’re really geared toward the people who work here,” Crimm said. “Office workers, construction trades, people who don’t want to spend twenty dollars on lunch.”
The Crimms’ path to Main Street was anything but direct. During the COVID shutdowns, Bakers Grimm operated out of their home kitchen, producing baked goods at an unexpectedly large scale. From there, they moved through a series of temporary kitchen spaces and farmers markets around Delhi. Nearly two years ago, they settled into their current storefront at 116 Main Street, a move that brought stability and allowed them to better control quality and waste.
Carla Crimm’s role in the business is equally central. With a PhD in plant physiology, she previously worked in research, education, and entrepreneurship before joining the bakery full time. In the warmer months, she grows many of the vegetables used in sandwiches and salads, along with flowers sold at the shop. That connection to growing, harvesting, and freshness is part of the bakery’s appeal.
“I think you can taste it when care goes into something,” she said.
A major factor in Bakers Grimm’s success is the atmosphere, something customers mention repeatedly. Many describe the bakery as a hub, a place where conversations happen naturally. That tone starts with the owners themselves.
“We try to lead by example,” Delmar Crimm said. Employees are paid competitively, keep all their tips, and are encouraged to eat what they serve so they can speak honestly to customers. In return, reliability and professionalism are non-negotiable in a business where a missed shift can derail the entire day.
The bakery also provides hands-on experience for SUNY Delhi students studying baking and pastry arts, several of whom work as interns. It’s a setting that reflects the Crimms’ values: structured, respectful, and focused on teamwork.
Unlike many area businesses, Bakers Grimm is closed on weekends, a decision rooted in sustainability rather than tourism. The Crimms prioritize consistency over chasing seasonal traffic, a choice that aligns with their goal of serving the local community year-round.
“We’re not trying to get big,” Delmar Crimm said. “We’re trying to make it work.”
As Bakers Grimm approaches its two-year anniversary on Main Street this April, that approach appears to be paying off. By keeping the business small, the food affordable, and the atmosphere welcoming, the Crimms have created something increasingly rare: a place that belongs to everyone.