Colm Shanahan makes a thin-crust pizza pie at the newly expanded Shanahan's Bakery Café in Milltown June 27. Shanahan reopened the longtime family business in 2006.

Colm Shanahan had no way of knowing when he reopened his family's bakery in 2006 after a few years' hiatus, whether it would be the popular destination it had been for nearly four decades.

The business would have to contend with new competition, and would be scaled back in a smaller space at the rear of its original North Main Street building. A hair salon was now operating in the front space.

"I wanted to give it a shot ... to see if things would work out, which they have," Shanahan said.

So much so, that the bakery has recently expanded in terms of both physical space and the types of food it serves. In fact, at 900 square feet, the place is bigger than ever, with room for tables now, a bar for customers to eat at, and display cases for new offerings such as pizza.

Yes, pizza, at Shanahan's. Historically known for its cookies, cakes and breads made from scratch, the bakery now sells thin-crust pizza, also made entirely on premises.

"You go from holiday to holiday with the bakery business," said Shanahan, who at age 12 started working at the bakery his father, John, bought in 1969. "That's why I wanted to break out into food, it's more of a steady thing."

Pizza was a natural choice for Shanahan, who over the years would often make pizza for his staff to eat on lunch breaks, and would also make them for family parties.

"People have been telling me for years that I should make it in the store and sell it, and I'd say, 'I'm a bakery chef,'" Shanahan said with a laugh. But he saw other bakeries starting to serve pizza, such as in Brooklyn and Princeton, and decided it was worth a try. "It's a steady business. People eat it year-round. Everyone loves pizza."

Tables, indoor and out, are among the new additions to the bakery.

And though Shanahan's still closes at 6 p.m., before many eat dinner, the thincrust pizza has taken off since being added to the menu just a few weeks ago. Customers are comparing the pies to those served at Federici's in Freehold and De- Lorenzo's in Trenton.

Shanahan, who is now considering staying open later, shrugged off the idea that he's onto some huge secret.

"It's not rocket science," he said. "I don't understand why regular pizza places don't make good pizza."

Regardless of the subtle changes, much remains unchanged at Shanahan's. The old-time favorites, such as butter cookies, scones and kifleys, are still offered, and it's still the same family-run business. Colm's parents, John and Kathleen, who live upstairs, still help out in the kitchen, along with Colm's wife, Dawn, and their daughter, Mallory, who just graduated college.

After nearly 40 years, the family is happy to continue serving up its recipes, as long as customers want it.

"People love the fact that it's still oldstyle and that everything is still made from scratch," Shanahan said.

The store is open Tuesday to Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m.-2 p.m.

Photo by: Chris Kelly -Sentinel Staff  Photographer