fbpx

Exploring the Source Interviews

Exploring the Source Interview with Philippe’s Bread

1 Comment on Exploring the Source Interview with Philippe’s Bread
Banner image of Philippe's Bread Link

Exploring the Source Interview with Philippe’s Bread!

Learn More about Philippe!
Exploring the Source Interview with Philippe's Bread - Philippe's logo with motto - A taste of France in the Rogue Valley Handmade fresh artisan breads.
Philippe Garcia, owner og Philippe's Bread in front of his French Stone Hearth ovens improted from France.
Philippe Garcia owner of Philippe’s Bread

Philippe Garcia is a Boulanger from Lyon, France. I ran into Philippe at The Oregon Cheese Cave when I went to pick up some cheese. It was a Sunday and he was delivering his bread, most of it was special orders.

Bread rack loaded with fresh baked bread from Philippe's Bread in the Oregon cheese cave.
Philippe’s Bread Rack with Fresh Baked Artisan Bread at The Oregon Cheese Cave

Melodie Picard, owner of The Oregon Cheese Cave, and I had discussed Philippe’s Bread when we conducted her Exploring the Source interview. Melodie takes orders from customers who want make sure they get their bread before he sells out of what he normally delivers but Philippe also makes deliveries that Melody displays at the end of her cheese case.

Philippe’s Road to Boulanger

As with many of our life journeys, Philippe did not start out in the direction of a life in bread baking. He was working in New York city as a sound recording engineer and was fascinated with the bakeries throughout the city. While enjoying the breads and pastries that reminded him of Lyon, his home, he was being drawn closer to his calling.

He began doing an internship at La Tropézienne a Boulangerie, Patisserie & Viennoiserie in Spanish Harlem, a handful of blocks from Central Park. The bakery specializes in Bread, Pastries and baked goods in the style of Vienna.

viennoise or Vienna bread from Philippe's Bread - buttery light and airy baguette. A classic in french boulangeries (bakeries)
Viennoise Baguette – A Classic Bread in Boulangeries

As Philippe wanted to become more proficient and skilled in bread baking he looked to culinary school options here in the U.S. and back home in France. He chose to return to France and attend school to become a Boulanger.

Le Garçon Boulanger

After completing the Boulanger program, he moved back to his hometown of Lyon. Philippe opened his own Boulangerie, Le Garçon Boulanger (The Baker Boy).

Philippe’s Baguettes
  • pile of baguettes ready to be sold
    Traditional Baguettes
  • seeded baguettes you can almost smell them
    Seeded Baguettes
  • viennoise or Vienna bread from Philippe's Bread - buttery light and airy baguette. A classic in french boulangeries (bakeries)
    Viennese Baguettes
  • Chocolate Viennese Baguettes
    Chocolate Viennese Baguettes
  • Country Baguettes
    Country Baguettes
  • Multigrain Baguettes
    Multigrain Baguettes
  • Epi Baguettes - epi baguettes are regular baguettes cut on the sides with scissors to resemble ears down the sides.
    Epi Baguettes

Philippe explained that there are very specific rules and regulations about being a boulanger and owning a boulangerie (bakery) in France. To start with, in order to own a boulangerie, you have to pass a national exam to prove you have the knowledge and skill to bake bread in France.

Being a Boulanger comes with the task of upholding the long history of bread baking in France. Over the centuries a Union among bread bakers was formed to retain the quality and traditions. If you change your bakery hours, your days of operation or your bread doesn’t meet the quality expectations, you could be brought in front of a tribunal for fines or punishment.

Definition of Artisan in France

Philippe and I discussed prior to conducting the video interview many aspects of bread baking. He explained how there are differences between here and France, believe it or not, even down to the term Artisan.

Boules, Sandwich Loaves & Original French Shaped Bread
  • Country Bread a classic bread from france that contains rye and wheat flour. so good!
    Country Boulle
  • Country Seeded Boule
    Country Seeded Boule
  • Batard Loaf
    Batard Loaf
  • Vivarais Loaf
    Vivarais Loaf
  • Multigrain Sandwich Loaf
    Multigrain Sandwich Loaf
  • Traditional Sandwich Loaf
    Traditional Sandwich Loaf
  • Multigrain Boule - round loaf dusted with flour and scored before baking.
    Multigrain Boulle

Artisan in France has a specific definition. In order to be able to call yourself an Artisanal Bakery you can not have more than seven people working at the bakery. From the owner to the person working the counter or delivery. This ensures that the quality and quantity of what you can produce is within the guidelines.

Above seven employees or above a certain volume of bread produced can lead to punishment. Your right to use Artisan will most definitely be stripped from your operation.

Bringing His Artisan Skills to the West Coast

During his 8 year run as owner of Le Garçon Boulanger in Lyon, Philippe met his wife. She was from the U.S. and had been a student years before this meeting. She had come back to France and was visiting Lyon when they met on a visit to his boulangerie.

After getting married, he sold his shop and moved back to the U.S., settling in the Napa area. Philippe worked as a baker in The Model Bakery in Napa for some time before moving up the coast to Fort Bragg, Ca.

Image of Philippe's Bread rack at Shop'N Kart in Ashland.
Multigrain Baguettes

While in Fort Bragg he worked for The Fort Bragg Bakery. The bakery had a storefront and also produced a large quantity of bread for restaurants and stores along the coast.

Being in an industry where opportunities arise, he and his family moved to Portland, Oregon. There he partnered with a fellow Frenchman to open a Bakery. As many partnerships are a challenge, it wasn’t what Philippe was looking for.

A Taste of France in the Rogue Valley

Philippe’s family eventually settled in Southern Oregon where he started Philippe’s Bread. Starting out small, working from his home kitchen, Philippe began selling baguettes to brioche at the Talent Evening Market. (Oregon has a Home Baking Law which allows baking of shelf stable foods to be sold at a small scale)

Philippe’s Bread became a hit, he began to look to expand into a commercial space where he could expand his baking. He found a spot in Ashland where he set up his kitchen space. Sharing the kitchen with other small food operations, he was able to import his 3 deck refractory stone, steam injected ovens.

Philippe’s Brioche Flavors
  • Classic Brioche a Tete - buttery bread in the shape of a roll with a small round ball on top in the fashion of "a tete" or a head.
    Classic Broiche
  • Chocolate Brioche
    Chocolate Brioche
  • Cherry Almond stuffed Brioche
    Cherry Almond Brioche
  • Golden Raisin Brioche
    Golden Raisin Brioche
  • Cranberry Walnut stuffed Brioche
    Cranberry Walnut Brioche

These ovens are a traditional style that you would find in most all boulangeries in France. The refractory stone in the ovens retain the heat evenly throughout the cooking surface and walls of the oven. Plus the steam injection produces the necessary moisture in the baking process to build the crust. These are some of the reasons Philippe’s Bread is able to develop his signature crust.

Philippe’s skill in creating bread doughs and maintaining his level of consistency is a attestment to his craft. As he pointed out, we both could make the recipe but because of how we individually assemble the recipe and interpret the process and timing our results would be different. Baking bread is a skill that is developed through training and practice.

Finding Philippe’s Bread

Philippe’s Bread can be found at Ashland’s Shop’N Kart, The Medford Food Co-op, and The Oregon Cheese Cave in Phoenix. Plus, Online Ordering for pickup at his kitchen on Saturday evenings.

Ordering Online gives you options that you won’t find in the stores. Check out his selection of baguettes, breads and rolls at philippethebaker.square.site.

I hope you enjoy the Exploring the Source Interview with Philippe’s Bread

Discover More Exploring the Source Interviews

You may also like...

1 Comment

  1. Jenn says:
    Posted on

    Awesome interview! He has delicious breads.

Comments are closed.

Privacy Policy