Sen-Pei H.
Yelp
I was about a block away from the factory when the smell of sweet fresh bread came on my radar. I stopped and stood for a minute in the middle of the street, taking it in. Looking around, there wasn't a factory or even a bakery in sight. There were apartment complexes, a few houses and a warehouse that doesn't seem to be food related. It was hot and humid in the mid afternoon, but something was relaxing about the area and I didn't know whether to contribute it to the neighborhood or whether it was a mirage.
Upon opening the doors to the factory, a fragrant burst of freshly baked bread billowed out. I smiled immediately and walked upstairs to greet Chris (JHS - Mamie Faye Academy/ 122). He introduced me to everyone in the offices, as well as introducing me to Joanne, who was in charge of sales. We chatted for a bit while we waited for my friend, Dana, and that was when the fun began. We donned plastic caps and headed down to the production floor.
The ground floor was bustling, even though they had already finished with the day's production. The factory was extremely clean and the staff of bakers just started kneading new doughs. They looked up as we walked downstairs and smiled.
Chris lead us to a few of the stacks of baked bread that they had left from the morning bake and described each and every one of them. I was so excited that I took a thin olive strewn baguette and broke it in half. The exterior made a crisp sound as I tore the bread. I thoroughly enjoy breads with nice crusts and this was no exception. I took a bite- delicious! Flavorful and full bodied. There was a burst of olive fragrance when I broke the bread, which meant that the olives were fresh. I savored the bite and we went to town.
They usually gave extra (fresh) breads to charities, such as City Harvest. While perusing through the shelves of fresh bread, Dana and I glossed over many different variants of baguettes, dinner rolls, brioche, large rounds, semolina based rolls, cranberry and pecan loafs, croissants and olive strewn breads; most were medium bodied and very textured- no doubt from the extra yeast that they use in their recipes as well as the special flours that are shipped in especially for the company.
We then went upstairs and chatted with the owner and a few of the other staff for a bit. Extremely down to earth and very nice people.
We took a few shots with the bread for fun and then were given the option to take some bread home. It was amazing. I actually ended up giving some to a few restaurant owner friends, family and some to charity (Everyone raved).
Long story short:
As I sat on the bus for a short ride home, a woman sitting a few seats away asked me what I had in my brown shopping bag.
"Bread," I said.
"It smells delicious. I can smell it from my seat. Which bakery is it?"
"Pain D' Avignon. Many restaurants carry them. You can go to the Plaza Hotel Food court or the Essex Street market." I replied.
'Oh, thank you! I'll definitely find them. It smells so good."
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My 100th REVIEW!
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