After cancelling the company’s retail opening due to Tropical Storm Barry, Bellegarde’s retail bakery will officially open this Saturday, July 20. Hours of operation are 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.; on opening day, Bellegarde will extend its hours and host a public open house from 3-5 p.m., giving customers the chance to get a behind-the-scenes tour of the bakery and meet with the staff. Also, the first 50 customers on opening day will receive a FREE country loaf!
Walk-in customers will have the opportunity to purchase freshly baked breads available only in-store (plus Bellegarde’s staple wholesale loaves), freshly stone-milled flour and heirloom grits, custom-blended drip coffee from Congregation Coffee, and branded merchandise. The menu will continue to expand throughout 2019 with additional pastry, pizza, pasta and bread options.
Bellegarde will also continue hosting its popular baking classes in the new location. These classes, open to both professional and home bakers, are taught by local and national leaders in the baking and cooking industry.
“Since arriving in New Orleans on Greyhound Bus 10 years ago, I never thought my dream of making real bread would ferment into such a beautiful reality supported by an incredible web of bakers, farmers, chefs and customers,” said Bellegarde’s owner Graison Gill. “Our retail bakery will further prove to the city and the country why our work is so important: we are the only bakery on our scale producing high quality breads with freshly milled flour from identity-preserved grains. Our goal is not just to feed our community, but to nourish it; this work begins with the best ingredients, which begin in the soil. We’re glad New Orleans recognizes how delicious this harvest of our work is and will continue to be.”
Bellegarde—founded in 2013 by Gill—works to actively preserve the wholesome properties of wheat by freshly stone milling its flour. Currently, Bellegarde mills 3,000 lbs of flour and grains each week and bakes 7,000 fresh loaves for its restaurant, retail and online customers. With the largest stone mills in the South, Gill and his team continue to provide the highest-quality breads and flours to customers while preserving the nutritional integrity of organic and heirloom whole grains such as wheat, corn and rye. With the new mill and oven additions, production capacity for bread and flour at the new location will double.
In November 2018, Bellegarde launched its online retail store; the bakery has since shipped fresh flour and grains to customers in all 50 states. The online store offers freshly milled buckwheat flour, white wheat flour, durum flour, heirloom rye flour, heirloom corn grits, heirloom corn meal and organic red wheat flour (available in 2.5lbs bags), plus Bellegarde merchandise such as custom aprons and t-shirts.
Today, Bellegarde works with more than 120 restaurants and markets across Louisiana including James Beard winners Alon Shaya (Saba), Nina Compton (Compere Lapin, Bywater American Bistro), Justin Devillier (La Petite Grocery, Justine), Isaac Toups (Toups Meatery, Toups South), Kristen Essig and Michael Stoltzfus (Coquette), Ryan Prewitt (Pêche), Alex Harrell (The Elysian Bar) and top retailers, including Whole Foods and Rouses.
Bellegarde’s new retail bakery is located at 8300 Apple St. and will be open Tuesday – Saturday from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Bellegarde will be a cash-free business; all major credit cards will be accepted.
For more information on Bellegarde Bakery please visit www.BellegardeBakery.com and follow Bellegarde on Facebook and Instagram.
