Two (re)boots

Wordloaf remains on extended 𝚜̶𝚞̶𝚖̶𝚖̶𝚎̶𝚛̶ book promotion break for a bit longer, but I wanted to jump in momentarily with a pair of bakery fundraisers I think should be on your radar. Both of are from friends of mine, and both are well worth supporting, especially if you live in NYC.

Boots

The first is from Carla Finley, who for years ran a mighty bakery out of her apartment in Clinton Hill called Apt. 2 Bread. Apt. 2 closed its doors a few years ago, but is coming back as a collaboration with fellow baker Megan Wang, who has her own bakery called Graindead Bread. Their joint venture—Boots Bread—will be in Crown Heights. Here's how they describe the ethos of Boots:

Whole grain and stone-milled first
Our breads will use whole grain stone-milled flour over roller-milled white sifted flour, for flavor and for nutrition. If using sifted flour, it will be regional. 

Regional sourcing
We’ll use flour and most ingredients from producers close to home instead of national commodity supply chains. Better for local economies and for the climate.

Bread at the center
We love pastry, but we believe people need more real bread. We are proud to make a staple item that has nourished people since the beginning of civilization.

Ownership that reflects our values
Boots Bread is founded by workers, funded by workers and owned by workers (at this time, Megan and Carla). Our long-term goal is to expand worker-ownership opportunities to others once the business is profitable and running smoothly. In the meantime, we’ll practice horizontal management and governance, and will foster a collaborative culture. 

Community engagement
We believe everyone should have access to nutritious bread. Our goal is to foster that by partnering with mutual aid programs, community organizations, and accepting EBT. 

Transparency 
We’ve become experts on pulling public records, and have collected a number of buildout quotes, some impossible to pursue. The process of opening a small business has been incredibly challenging, and we know we aren’t alone in this. We plan to openly share this process with you, and we'll keep talking about the challenges that new owners face in this city. 

Beyond this campaign, we commit to being transparent about our sourcing choices, our pricing logic, and day to day operations. 

Learning & expression
Around our collective role in the broader food system, and also through the art and joy of producing nourishing food for ourselves, our friends, family and community. 

Sounds like the sort of bakery I'd like to have in my city/neighborhood!

Bạn Bè

And then there is Bạn Bè, the Carroll Gardens Viet-American bakery from Doris Hồ-Kane that closed (temporarily) earlier this year. Bạn Bè is now coming back, this time just down the road in the Columbia Street Waterfront. And like Boots, the new shop is a joint venture with Doris' friend Anna Lai, who worked with her at the original shop.

Bạn Bè 1.0 (which I sadly never made it to) was a teensy, takeout-only affair, but the new space will have table seating, along with room for classes and events. And they'll be serving all of the desserts and foods that made Bạn Bè famous, along with a host of new things:

There will be Bạn Bè classics y’all already know and love like bánh bò nướng (pandan honeycomb cake), bánh kẹp (mochi waffles), and thạch rau câu (jellies), but you’ll also see new menu items like pandan lime madeleines, pandan chocolate chip cookies, pandan black & white sesame cookies, and pandan coconut tiramisu as not only an ode to Doris’ Vietnamese heritage, but also as a nod to our neighborhood’s Italian American roots. Chè (dessert soup) and ice cream also return! 

Around noon, you’ll be able to order lunch items like our beloved bánh mì chay (sandwich), but there will be tasty additions like cơm tấm bì chay (broken rice bowl), bánh xèo chay (crispy Vietnamese crêpe), bánh bèo chay (mini steamed rice cakes), and gỏi cuốn chay (summer rolls). I am constantly testing recipes, so these are just some of the exciting possibilities! 

Our beverage menu will be anchored by our very strong cà phê sữa đá (Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk), but we will also have straight-up very strong black cà phê (Vietnamese Americano!), pandan lattés, pandan cà phê seltzers, etcetera, and our delightful pandan coconut milk, lemongrass sage milk tea, Sài Gòn cinnamon milk tea, and more! Take a seat, take in the views (we have lots of windows!), read a book, chat with friends, or get a little work done 😄.

We will offer in-house made pantry items like đồ chua (pickled daikon + carrots), “Phish” sauce (vegan), sa tế (chili lemongrass oil), pandan palm syrup, and Kaya jam, Vietnamese Robusta and Arabica coffee beans, and a small but mighty curated selection of books, music, and objects.

This also seems like a bakery I'd love to have in my city/neighborhood!

Okay, back to figuring out how to promote my upcoming book. See you all soon.

—Andrew