After a well-earned month off, new University of Texas graduates Sydney Stewart and Nicolas Montoya, the couple behind one of Austin's most charming food concepts, are officially back. Stoya Bread & Co. reopens June 12 at their Hyde Park bread shed, and the duo is returning with more time, more ambition, and a new summer cookie in tow.

Stoya Bread & Co. is a sourdough microbakery — a little green shed tucked near King Street and West 35th. It was born from a love of baking shared between Stewart and Montoya, who met at UT and named the business by combining their last names.

Montoya, who studied mechanical engineering, built the bread shed himself, designing it as a self-serve storefront that sits in a neighbor's front yard in Hyde Park. Stewart, who studied sustainability with a minor in entrepreneurship, runs the business side and handles much of the baking. Together, they've built a loyal following around weekly drops of sourdough loaves, bagels, cookies, and other rotating seasonal items, all made with simple ingredients.

Just a month ago the two graduated from UT, and after a chaotic year of running a business while juggling demanding course loads, they took a deliberate pause.

Stewart and Montoya graduated from UT in May and now have more time than ever to dedicate to Stoya. Photo courtesy of Stoya Bread Co.

"Engineering school was very hard to juggle running a startup at the same time," Montoya says. The month off gave them time to breathe, celebrate with family, travel, and reset before diving back in with fresh energy and a clearer vision for where Stoya is headed.

Now that Stewart is running Stoya full-time and Montoya is contributing outside of his new 9-to-5, the two have more bandwidth than they've ever had. Stewart admits the shift is equal parts exciting and nerve-wracking.

"Before I graduated, I was thrilled. I was like, 'Oh my god, I cannot believe I get to do what I'm passionate about after college!'" she says." Now it's like, 'Oh my god, I get to do it, but I'm really scared!'"

Still, she and Montoya keep coming back to the same reminder: "If we could do it during school, we can definitely do it after. It just feels like a little more pressure now," Stewart says.

Stoya Bread Co. leaves out loaves, cookies, and baked goods in this climate controlled "bread shed" in Hyde Park. Photo courtesy of Stoya Bread & Co.

In the immediate term, customers can look forward to the return of Friday shed days starting June 12, plus the debut of the s'mores cookie as the official summer seasonal offering.

A new website is also launching within the next few weeks, which will make ordering far easier going forward.

"Our ordering process right now is a little bit confusing," Stewart says. "But with the website, you'll be able to order further ahead."

Beyond that, a second bread shed in East Austin, sourdough classes, and farmers market appearances are all in the works for the next several months. The long-term dream involves expanding, either starting bread sheds all over Austin or a brick-and-mortar bakery or restaurant one day.

In May, Stewart was awarded a $10,000 Culinary Fellowship in support of women in the culinary industry, at Austin Entertains.Photo courtesy of Stoya Bread & Co.

None of this would be possible, Stewart is quick to note, without the people who show up week after week.

"The only reason we're continuing is because of our community," Stewart says. "We would never be in this place if it weren't for all of our loyal customers and people who come back week after week."

Stoya Bread & Co. reopens June 12 at King Street and West 35th in Hyde Park. Updates including ordering information and the new website launch can be found on Instagram.