Remember Frank Sally? He’s the award-winning pastry chef we told you about in August who is opening a traditional French-style bakery called La Fournée in Berkeley’s Claremont neighborhood. His latest ETA is January, he says, and work is progressing well.
Sally, who taught at the San Francisco Baking Institute, has taken over the old Bread Garden space next door to Peet’s on Domingo Avenue, across the street from the Claremont Hotel. In terms of the build-out, Sally reports he is collaborating with Dan Austin from Berkeley’s Rocket Restaurant Resource, who has been “invaluable in the process.” He is working on the service area of the store himself and hopes to use the original floor there and bring the room back to its original form as much as possible.
“My hearth oven arrived from Italy and a lot of my equipment is on the way,” he tells us.
As far as what breads and pastries we can expect, La Fournée’s website includes a photo gallery which offers a mouth-watering display of traditional French croissants and pains, as well as sophisticated cakes and tarts.
Sally says he is sourcing from local purveyors as much as possible. “I am planning on using organic butter, milk and cream and all of my flour will be organic,” Sally says. “I am getting the organic dairy from Humbolt Creamery and the flours will be from Central Milling.”
Sally says he still looking into fruit and produce suppliers and will be checking out vendors at the farmers’ markets and meeting with local organic meat purveyors. The pour-over gravity drip and French Press coffee served at La Fournée will also be locally sourced, from the Bay Area’s Bicycle Coffee.
“I am really excited about opening,” says Sally. From the response on Berkeleyside over the summer to the news that the bakery was on its way, it would seem he’s not the only one.
Related:
Pastry chef to open new bakery in Bread Garden space [08.14.12]
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