Bellegarde Bakery
Bakery · Lower Garden District ·
Stone-ground flour, bread, pastries, pizza, pasta, and classes
Stone-ground flour, bread, pastries, pizza, pasta, and classes
"An employee-owned bakery, famous for its bread, was selected as a semifinalist for Outstanding Bakery." - Clair Lorell
"Bellegarde is the ubiquitous and beloved bread that’s been found in New Orleans restaurants, grocery stores, and wine shops for years, but now residents can pick up Graison Gill’s remarkable wares direct from the source at his Leonidas bakery. In addition to its famous loaves, Bellegarde sells sweet and savory croissants, cookies, baguette sandwiches, and pizza." - Eater Staff
"Next to Leidenheimer’s French bread, Bellegarde Bakery’s baguette might be the second most popular bread in town — and frankly, it’s a close second. The ubiquitous bread could only be found in New Orleans restaurants, grocery stores, and wine shops before Bellegarde’s first retail bakery opened in 2019, a glorious development. That also meant the arrival of Bellegarde-made sandwiches, like the ham and brie. It is simplicity at its best, matching the European gold standard. The tomato, mozzarella, and arugula on focaccia, is also one of the best vegetarian sandwiches in town." - Beth D’Addono
"Employees at New Orleans’ lauded Bellegarde Bakery purchased the business from its James Beard Award–nominated founder Graison Gill, another sign of shifts in labor and ownership within the industry." - Naomi Waxman
"I watched Bellegarde Bakery grow from a 2013 wholesale operation into a beloved, ubiquitous New Orleans brand after its expansion into a retail bakery; its founder, Graison Gill, became a James Beard Award finalist for Outstanding Baker in 2020. Known for earnest Old World bread making and an obsessive approach to milling—sourcing wheat from Oklahoma and producing up to 2,000 pounds of flour per week in-house—the bakery closed twice during the pandemic, moments when Gill issued forceful, emotional statements about the city's economic pressures on local workers. Recently Gill sold the business to an initial group of five employees who will run it as a cooperative, with additional staff eligible to become owners after a year, a shift Gill says will retain the bakery’s energy, integrity, and ingredients even as he pursues a similar “fairy-tale” bakery project in London." - Clair Lorell