It’s a tale of smoked meats and pickles. Of fluffy slabs of white bread sandwiching schnitties. Of second-generation Australians wanting to open a bakery in the southern suburbs of Sydney to give back to the area they grew up in.

We arrive at Self Raised Bread Shoppe at noon on a Sunday to find a queue snaking around the corner from a strip of shops in the back streets of Carlton.

A quick head count tells us there are 100 people here, either standing in the queue or waiting for their order. It’s like a revolving door of customers, with staff on an efficiency drive, doling out menus so we can decide on our dream pastries or sandwiches before arriving at the counter.

A quick vox pop of the crowd tells us that most here have travelled from all over Sydney. And many have been to the bakery more than once since it opened in February 2023.

While the name of the bakery, Self Raised, is an obvious nod to the flour that underpins most of the items on the menu, it also acknowledges that its owners are all self-taught.

Hussein Rachid, sister Amani Rachid, and friend Sal Senan are the trio behind SRBS, an offshoot of My Mother’s Cousin, the NYC-style pizzeria opposite Bexley North train station.

With its retro orange and white awning, dark timber panelling, chequerboard floors and gold-leaf signage, the bread shop straddles the line between humble bakery and community hub.

Inspired by the delis of Melbourne and bodegas in New York, Self Raised is small, with just a few tables inside and limited seating outside.

Where the bakery excels is in its hoagies, white loaves of ciabatta freckled with white sesame seeds and stuffed with mortadella, turkey, ham, salami, lettuce, roasted peppers, provolone and a green dressing that glues it all together.

The chicken schnitzel on white slabs of sourdough is also a star, with its thick coat of panko crumbs, American cheese and lettuce bound together with homemade mayo that skews it toward being sweet and savoury. The crusty sangas are all cut in half so you can take tantalising images of the midriff for the ‘gram.

The menu includes cracking croissants made by a team of pastry chefs led by Sarah Ghantous (ex-Flour and Stone).

There’s great attention to detail at Self Raised with everything from the bread to the mayo and sauces made in-house. Wholegrain Milling in Gunnedah also supplies flour for the sourdough that has been developed by artisan bakery Thoroughbread in Kirrawee.

Step back keto devotees. The sensational slab of focaccia studded with roasted tomatoes and scattered with basil and goat’s cheese is not for you.

There’s only a small menu at Self Raised, and not enough seating to cater to the crowds so we picnicked at nearby Carss Park. What we’d love to see is the local council support this business adding to the amenity of Carlton with the addition of more outdoor tables and seating in the park across the way.

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