The divide between gastronomy and bakery is blurring

Joris Bijdendijk, the acclaimed executive chef behind the Michelin-starred restaurants RIJKS* and Wils*, was the first to venture into the world of bread in the Amsterdam culinary scene. He launched Wils Bakery Café in 2022, a seamless blend of a traditional bakery and a French-inspired bistro. The idea for the bakery was born during the pandemic when Bijdendijk began experimenting with selling bread and pastries, a venture that quickly gained popularity. 

“We realized that there was a real demand for high-quality, handmade bread,” Bijdendijk explained. “So we went back to the drawing board and conceptualized a space where the craftsmanship of a bakery could meet the conviviality of a bistro.” The bread and patisserie that emerge from the café’s ovens are sold directly to consumers, but also find their way into the dishes served at Bijdendijk’s Michelin-starred establishment. 

It was also the Covid-19 pandemic that boosted the appreciation for artisan bread among consumers. Baking sourdough bread became a favorite pastime all over the world as consumers were confined to their homes with plenty of time at hand. Social media platforms flooded with tips on creating sourdough starters, scouring and the easiest recipes. This led to an increased interest for authentic bakery products that show craftsmanship. As consumers’ palates become more refined, there’s a growing demand for artisan products that offer something beyond mass-produced goods.

Fine dining restaurants no longer serve a bread basket as a filler, but offer a standalone bread course with luxurious butter. Bread is now considered as a celebrated component of a dinner that is worthy of its own place on the menu. But the process of creating those artisan loaves and rolls is very time consuming, sometimes taking up days. The Appalachian bread rolls pastry chef Michael Werrell serves at Audrey in Nashville (USA) go through about five employees before they’re picked by a server. They have to be bulk-fermented, degassed, shaped, proofed and baked, which requires a lot of handwork. 

Chefs aren’t just opening up bakeries as an extension of a chef’s culinary philosophy, there are also venues that blur the line between bakery and restaurant altogether.  Antara in Melbourne, Australia is such a bakery-restaurant hybrid. This all-day eatery receives guests all throughout the day, serving breads, pastries and breakfast in the mornings, lunch during the day and dinner menus in the evenings.

Then you should also check out:

• Frea Bakery in Berlin (DE), an offshoot of the popular plant-based, zero-waste restaurant Frea

• Louf in Amsterdam (NL), run by the owners of Café Binnenvisser, Cornerstore en Café Twee Prinsen

• Shadow Baking in Sydney (AU), opened by three Gelato Messina chefs

• Levain by Olivier Nasti in Kayserberg (FR), this 2-star Michelin chef has a classic boulangerie, ice cream shop and chocolate shop nearby his restaurant

• New bakery by the Saga Hospitality Group in New York (USA), run by pastry che Renata Ameni - planned to open this year