A kosher bakery that built a cult following in Boston landed in Hallandale Beach on Tuesday, July 14, and co-owner Amir Vadash says an Aventura location is next.

Bakey, known for fresh-baked babka in half a dozen flavors, opened at 668 W. Hallandale Beach Blvd. in the former Kosher Bagel Cove space. The café seats about 50 indoors and 70 on a covered patio. Vadash told the Sun Sentinel that two more South Florida locations are planned for Fort Lauderdale and Aventura, though specific dates and addresses have not been set.

"I've been helping behind the counter because we've been so busy," Vadash, 52, told the Sun Sentinel. His family operated Israel's Vadash Bakery for more than six decades.

The bakery runs its ovens all day, turning out chocolate, pistachio, cinnamon, almond, marzipan and apple babka. During a Sun Sentinel reporter's visit, staff replenished the chocolate babka tray several times. The menu also includes a Tunisian Sandwich with tuna, hard-boiled egg, potato, preserved lemon and harissa ($18), shakshuka with a house-baked challah roll ($22), and a build-your-own plate of eggs, cheeses, avocado, smoked salmon and olives ($4-$9 per item). Coffee uses beans from Umbria, Italy, roasted off-site and ground in-house.

Bakey is certified kosher by the Orthodox Rabbinical Board of Broward and Palm Beach Counties. For Aventura's sizable Jewish community, which supports multiple synagogues and more than 10 kosher restaurants and shops, the bakery adds another option within a short drive.

Chef and baker Uri Scheft founded the first Bakey in Boston in 2021. Scheft, who grew up in Israel and Denmark, also founded Lehamim Bakery in Tel Aviv and co-founded Breads Bakery in New York. His James Beard Award-nominated cookbook, "Breaking Breads," introduced home bakers to laminated doughs, challah and babka. There are now five Bakey locations in the Boston area.

Head production manager Charlie LoGrasso traveled from Boston to help launch the Hallandale Beach shop. The interior, designed by Alona Eliasi, features warm wood accents, greenery and pastry displays greeting guests at the entrance.

Cooper City resident Julie Golden, who moved to the U.S. from Israel five years ago, visited Bakey for the second time during the Sun Sentinel's reporting. She came back for the bourekas and rugelach. "At other places, you feel like they are trying to imitate Israeli food, but this feels different, for the taste and freshness," Golden said.

Bakey also offers catering, a special events menu, seasonal items for Jewish holidays and delivery through Uber Eats and DoorDash. A "Babka Suitcase" holds eight cakes in the bakery's signature orange box with a handle.

Hours and contact: 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday. Closed Saturday. Phone: 754-999-8999. Complimentary parking in the shopping plaza.