Breaking Local Bread

Date: August 15, 2008 | Category: Food & Drink, Lifestyle

One of the easiest ways to reduce our carbon footprint is by buying products that are locally made. As you’ve probably heard by now (unless Michael Pollen is foreign to you) this applies to food too. In tribute to this philosophy, Acme’s legendary bread has grown largely by word-of-mouth. Once nibble, and you’ll understand why. Baked 24-hours per day in Berkeley, Acme Bread is best known to San Francisco bread connoisseurs from its central Ferry Building location.

Founder Steve Sullivan, a Bay area native, earned his way through U.C. Berkeley as a busboy at the mother of all organic eateries, Alice Water’s Chez Panisse. Biking across Europe one summer, he discovered his love of the loaf and returned to become the restaurant’s breadmaker. A honeymoon in Paris later led him to combine the art of Italian breakmaking with the French technique of using natural yeast from wine grapes. The result has been a steaming success. In homage to the wisdom that good things come to those who wait (and bake), Acme’s artisinal, organic-grain loaves take up to 35 hours to evolve from starter to table. Most of their goods are sold directly to restaurants in the Bay area. Some are distributed to regional Whole Foods. The rest are devoured by lucky commuters and tourists.

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