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La Montañita Co-op BlogSage Bakehouse: The Whole LoafFebruary 19th, 2010 | No Comments Sharp, eh? An admission: I’m not a bread foodie. I can distinguish the good from the mediocre, but I wouldn’t know how to spot it. Then a coworker gave me a slice of Sage Bakehouse’s Rye, and bread, the food group, had my attention again. Many of you know these as the words of the recently initiated. Discounting bagel sales, Sage Bakehouse is the Co-op’s top bread seller, and between their local renown and sharp graphic design, they’re hard to miss. Sage Bakehouse’s story is full of unlikely good fortune. Andree Falls and Amy Cox met in Dallas in the 80s. Andree was successfully running a restaurant while Amy pursued a masters. During Andree’s college years, in Paris (France), she’d fallen for artisan breads. The two wanted to move somewhere beautiful, and on investigation, determined Santa Fe was ripe for an artisanal bakery. They apprenticed with Michael London, a poetry professor-turned-master baker in New York, who himself had studied under multi-generational Jewish bakers. This explains their Rye Bread. They bought an oven from France, opened the bakery in June 1996, and held tight through the coming 15-year storm of business.  Rob, one of many enjoying a hunk of Sourdough. The response was overwhelming. They worked years of daily 18-hour shifts. In their first month they baked 100 lbs.; by December they were moving 1000 lbs, and Christmas passed in a 3-day sleepless haze. Only nine months went by before their core staff started to form. Andree says they’ve since learned how to say “no.” Though when the oven broke on Christmas Day, 2007, “no” was about the last word they wanted contact with. They use the same oven still, held together with duct tape, impromptu parts, and love, capable of 450 loaves at one time. The bread sits directly on stone, and is steam-injected on three decks, from three sides. In terms of success, Sage has built their house at the crossroads. They distribute in Santa Fe and to Albuquerque and Taos six days/week, and Los Alamos four. Where many businesses keep an eye on new locations and farther distribution, Andree laughs, “We’re occupied.”  Mmmmmm, Sourdough.
Rarely does bread achieve such an alchemy, so solid, bright, fresh. The Farm Bread is rugged and hearty, the Sourdough almost sweet in its sourness, and the Rye like it was baked in London’s kitchen for beloved guests. Because the crew is up and preparing at 4:00 AM for the next day’s bread, it arrives on Co-op shelves practically just baked. Forget butter and jam; they just get in the way. Sage Bakehouse bread arrives at the Co-op at 9:00 6 days/week. Take a loaf home, or to the office to share today. Though if you intend to share, I suggest two. You’ll thank me later. Want more? Check this excellent article at santafe.com. |
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