yo sexies
a lot has happened since we last spoke... i moved to Oakland, and this little guy got a room of this own -
"watermelon tastes good, i may be small but i'm not an idiot." -Cassady (he didn't say that, he can't talk, he's only 1 year old)
but let's not get caught up in all sorts of Dad stuff, look at this pretty picture of bread -
red, white + rye. this is a whole grain beauty that's really come into it's own over the past few months. we call it 'red, white + rye" because it's a blend of red wheat (COLR), white wheat (Patwin) and rye. all stone ground whole grain, all sourdough.
so i was riding the BART train to the bakery this morning (if you must know i am pretty darn pumped about my new commute strategy, it's called 'run to the BART, sit on the BART, run to the bakery, repeat in reverse order to go home.' it's so nice + efficient to get in a good 8 mile run to/from work), when i said to myself, 'man, there are so many awesome things happening right now in the baking community, i wanna share and celebrate this stuff and these people!!! so i thought it might be nice to do some mini profiles on some of my favorite bakers... sound cool? LET'S DO THIS. will start out where i start out, and will do another one soon, i promise.
LODGE BREAD - Los Angeles, CA
Alex and Or are badasses. and they are sweethearts. they are badass sweethearts and they're making totally incredible bread and pizza and sweets for the people of Los Angeles.
they make country bread that makes your taste buds scream w joy. credit: @lodgebreadco insty
I first met Alex back when he was cooking at AQ here in SF, maybe 5 years ago (is that right Alex??). i rolled in (literally, as i was delivering all my bread by bike at that point) and our eyes met and sparks flew. later on i used to watch him sweat it out in front of the live fire cooking at TBD, but next thing I knew he'd moved down to LA and had fallen in love w baking.
alex contemplating life's mysteries. credit: Yasmin Alishav for LA Weekly
Alex and I chatted a few times and it became immediately clear that he had it bad for bread. him and his buddy Or had been baking like crazy in a makeshift bakery they'd pulled together in a carport, but demand was on the rise, and they were hungry to settle into a proper brick and mortar. one day they drove through the night up to SF, and i could tell by the look in their eyes they had no intentions of stopping.
Or massages the magic into place. credit: Yasmin Alishav for LA Weekly
a few months later they opened Lodge Bread Co. in Culver City, and the rest, as they say, is history. they're making very good bread folks, some of the best, and if you're ever down LA way, i highly recommend you drop in for a loaf or slice of toast or cookie or what the ef ever they shove in your face, because it will be good, i assure you.
where Lodge lives. credit: Wonho Frank Lee
word on the street is that they may have some exciting new stuff in the works too, but you didn't hear it from me. go by and tell em JB sent you, and give them a nice little pat on their rear ends.
will highlight more of my fav bakers soon, stay tuned hotties.
<3 jb