Chef David Willocks has quietly turned a sleepy stretch of Monmouth Street in Newport into one of the region’s most buzzed-about dining rooms. The Baker’s Table, a compact, tasting-menu-only restaurant just across the river from downtown Cincinnati, leans hard on nearby farms and bakes almost all of its bread in-house to serve a small but fiercely loyal crowd. This spring, a wave of national attention pushed even more Cincinnati food obsessives to start hunting for a seat.
According to the James Beard Foundation, Willocks is a finalist in the Best Chef: Southeast category for the 2026 Restaurant and Chef Awards. Local coverage, including WLWT, has spotlighted the honor and listed Willocks among several Greater Cincinnati nominees. The winners are set to be announced on June 15 at the awards ceremony in Chicago.
The restaurant’s pivot to an exclusively monthly six-course tasting format, which CityBeat calls a local rarity, grew out of a decision to move away from brunch and double down on seasonal sourcing and bread. Since opening in late 2018, The Baker’s Table has evolved into what is described as the region’s only spot that serves only tasting menus, with the kitchen and its farm partners collaborating every month on a fresh lineup. That hands-on, collaborative streak shows up in every course, from house-made pastas to the chewy, blistered sourdough loaves.
How the dining club works
According to Baker’s Table, membership dues run $180 per month, or $165 if billed annually, and each account receives $200 in monthly house credit, effectively a $20 bonus built into the fee. Members can spend that credit on tasting-menu dinners, beverages, tax, and the restaurant’s standard gratuity, and any unused balance rolls over if they skip a month. The membership also opens the door to members-only wine dinners, classes, and special events designed to connect diners directly with the farmers and producers behind the menu.
Willocks has called the membership structure a “life-changing business model” and told CityBeat that more than 75 people had already signed up. He describes the program as a way to build a community of guests who care about seasonality, local farms, and the kind of hospitality that keeps regulars coming back. For Cincinnati diners, that membership functions as a direct line to a restaurant that puts thoughtful, seasonal service at the center of the experience.
Bread, awards and the team
The Baker’s Table’s bread program has been a core feature from day one, and Eater included the restaurant on its 2019 list of Best New Restaurants in America. Local coverage in Cincinnati Magazine has likewise underscored Willocks’ insistence on preparing most breads and pastries in-house, an approach that shapes the flavor and pacing of the tasting menu. That craft-first mindset, paired with a steady and experienced staff, is what allows the kitchen to change the menu every month without letting the service wobble.
Even with national accolades in reach, Willocks says his priorities are relatively simple: feed a community that values real ingredients and genuine hospitality. For now, that translates to tight service, seasonal menus, and a dining room that keeps Cincinnatians crossing the river for one of the region’s most distinctive meals.
