Shawn Bergin
Bakery Four | Denver
july 2022
Coming from Binghamton, New York, Shawn Bergin was raised on bagels and Grandma pies. He worked at a pizzeria through high school, but after graduating, he set dough aside. Bergin moved to Washington, D.C., where he became a marketing and sales executive for an office share company. He started baking at home, learning how to make his own pizza and sourdough bread from Instagram and Youtube videos. He bought a portable oven to throw pizza parties for his friends, and with rave reviews, Bergin felt empowered to quit his job and pursue baking full time in 2019.
When Bergin’s wife, Alex Urdanick, got a job in Denver, he turned the basement of their new home into a cottage bakery. For two months, he continued to experiment, selling his loaves and laminated pastries at pop-ups and farmers markets across the Mile High City. By 2020, Bergin and Urdanick signed the lease for a brick-and-mortar bakery in The Highlands neighborhood under the name Bakery Four. But within months of opening, they realized they were unable to keep up with the high demand in such a small space. Bergin connected with the owner of The Berkeley Hotel, who was looking to fill the building’s first floor with an F&B concept. Bakery Four took over the space in March of 2022, equipped with a larger kitchen and a cozy seating area. Since then, Denver locals have lined up to order from Bergin’s simple and flawlessly executed menu—made up of all naturally-leavened breads, bagels, and pastries, laminated with European butter.
