A Local Constant: Independent Baking Co.

At the heart of Five Points sits Independent Baking Co., a place defined less by trends and more by routine. The early hours. The smell of flour. The quiet discipline of repetition. Most mornings, you’ll find Kevin Scollo behind the counter. This time, in a Moreno windowpane suit.

Look Details: Kevin wears a green window pane suit layered over a striped dress shirt with a dark tie, paired with a classic wristwatch.

Kevin Scollo photographed by Terry Allen

Kevin’s path to Athens began in Marietta and carried him through some of New York’s most demanding kitchens. The NoMad Hotel. Bien Cuit. Great Northern Food Hall. What started as late-night curiosity with baguette dough became a lifelong commitment to craft. Technique learned through repetition. Standards earned, not claimed.

When Independent Baking Co. founder Thom Leonard chose to pass the torch, Kevin came home to Georgia. He stepped into ownership in February 2020. Weeks later, the world shut down.

There were no café tables. No morning chatter. Only plexiglass barriers, take-away orders, and long days behind the counter. Flour sacks became essential. Sourdough starter was shared freely. Athens learned to bake at home, and Independent remained a constant. Reliable. Open. Present.

Independent Baking Co. is more than bread. It’s belonging. Whole grains milled with intention. Loaves shaped patiently, day after day. A business rooted in giving back to the city it serves. The parallels to tailoring are hard to miss. Quiet process. Precision. Craft that rewards those who pay attention.

Here, coated in flour and wearing his custom Moreno shacket, Kevin reflects the same resilience that carried the bakery through uncertainty. Practical. Considered. Made to be worn, not preserved.

Whether in a suit or a shacket, Kevin wears Moreno the same way he runs the bakery. Timeless pieces, built for real life. Nothing extra. Nothing rushed.

From late nights in New York kitchens to flour-dusted mornings in Five Points, Kevin’s story is a reminder that the strongest cultures are built steadily. With patience. With care. With people who show up every day.

For Athens, he’s not just baking bread. He’s helping hold the city together, one morning at a time.