bake - December 2017 - 38

breads

For Love of Bread
Jonathan Davis of La Brea Bakery is well-versed in the impor-

alongside some of the culinary giants in Las Vegas including

tant matter of transparency, a crucial element for success in

Todd English, Grant McPherson and Michael Mina. After a

today's bread business. As senior vice president of research

successful Bellagio opening, Davis moved back to Los Angeles

and development, he thoroughly tests all ingredients and foods

to run the original La Brea Bakery DSD (Direct Store Delivery)

to ensure the taste and quality are in line with La Brea Bakery

Bakery, where he was responsible for the development and

standards. In recent years, he's spent a great deal of effort on

production of hundreds of baked goods being delivered across

the innovation side, working with new ingredients and creating

Southern California every day. Today, everything that goes out

new breads. One major project that Davis has been leading

the door must meet his approval.

involves La Brea Bakery Reserve bread, in which La Brea has
partnered with a family-run farm in Montana. With this partner-

"I've been with La Brea Bakery for over 25 years and since the

ship, La Brea Bakery and Wheat Montana are working together

start of my career as a baker," he says. "I've been given so many

to help bring back heritage grains like Fortuna Wheat (used to

opportunities with La Brea Bakery and have enjoyed working to

make La Brea Bakery Reserve loaves) that are grown for ﬂavor,

ensure it remains an innovative company with a growing port-

rather than high yield.

folio of artisan breads. In recent years, I've explored new partnership opportunities, like the one with Wheat Montana and La

On the consumer front, Davis cites the rising importance of trans-

Brea Bakery Reserve in which we became the ﬁrst company to

parency. "Right now, people crave transparency when it comes

offer truly artisan bread on a national scale."

to the foods that they eat," he says. "They want to know what's
in their food, and more speciﬁcally, where their food comes from.

To stay on top of innovation, Davis also works a great deal with

Transparency is something that's been part of La Brea Bakery

Stephen Jones at the Bread Lab at Washington State University,

since we opened." La Brea Bakery's original starter, made using

testing new strains of wheat. "We're constantly looking for new

ﬂour, water and skin from organic grapes, was created more than

ﬂavors and texture to explore in our breads in the future," Davis

25 years ago, and is still used to make all of the company's breads

says. His extensive experience with long fermentation and pre-

today. "We've never used artiﬁcial colors, ﬂavors or preservatives

ferments enables him to rely heavily on these skills at La Brea

in our breads, so we've stayed ahead of this current trend and the

Bakery, especially when it comes to different combinations and

demand to know more about the origins of your food."

ﬂavor proﬁles. Formulation is one of his strongest traits, whether
it's formulating new recipes or improving upon old ones, and he

Davis has lengthy experience in the bread world. He studied

has strong skills into how those interplay.

doing an internship at Campanile in Los Angeles, he accepted

"It was a lot of trial and error, and many late nights in the

the position as a pastry chef at La Brea Bakery as his ﬁrst job

bakery when I was in culinary school," Davis says. "These late

out of culinary school in the early 1990s and has been with

nights allowed me to develop a passion for baking pastries,

the company ever since. When La Brea Bakery was officially

which later transformed into a passion for baking bread. I'm

formed, Davis was asked to move to Las Vegas to help open

always working to improve the ﬁner details of my work, along

the much-anticipated Bellagio Hotel and Casino. La Brea

with the breads that we provide to our customers, whether it's

Bakery would be the premier bread for all the restaurants at the

with the Non-GMO project, La Brea Bakery Reserve or with

new hotel, and Davis led all development. In 1998, he worked

the launch of a new bread. We've been using ingredients as a

38 < DEC 2017 | bakemag.com

PETER CHRISTIAN VALLI

at the California Culinary Academy of San Francisco and, after

http://www.bakemag.com

bake - December 2017

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