Press & Media
Los Angeles, Once Gluten’s Heart of Darkness, Emerges as Bread Paradise
Long synonymous with carbo-phobia and anti-gluten mania, greater Los
Angeles has become an unlikely bakery and bread haven.
The Los Angeles area, for all of its culinary diversity, has not historically been thought of as a haven for bread lovers. While it’s true that Nancy Silverton’s pioneering La Brea Bakery has produced artisan loaves since 1989, the area, rightly or wrongly, has a deeply entrenched reputation as a place where gluten fears to tread.
“I can remember a time when L.A. was the heart of darkness, the no-carb central,” said Zack Hall, the owner of Clark Street Bread. “But we’re also a city that has great pride in food and restaurants and really cares about high-quality ingredients.”
Clark Street, which Mr. Hall founded in 2014 and operates out of a stall in downtown’s Grand Central Market, is one of several bakeries that have helped greater Los Angeles emerge over the past few years as an unlikely bread paradise.