Q: What does FAQ mean?
A: For those of you who are Under 40 years old, it means “Frequently Asked Questions” and for those Over 40 years old, it means “Facts.”
Bonus topic for deep self-reflective thought: If I didn’t know what ‘FAQ‘ means, why did I click on it?
Q: What’s a ‘Cie’…as in ‘Bread & Cie. Bakery’?
A: Cie. means company in French (Bread et Companie). Like “Inc.” in English.
Q: Why would you ever name yourself such a name?
A: We wanted a name that said we make bread (hence the ‘Bread’ part) and another word that delineated our French style of baking. Fortunately, we bake bread better then we name ourselves.
Q: Got any suggestions for ways we can get your name wrong?
A: Sure. We live to serve. Here are a few tried and true:
- Bread & Pie
- Bread & Sea
- Bran & Seed
- Bed & Seat
- T.J. Maxx
Q: Who owns Bread & Cie.?
A: Charles Kaufman and Chris Jurca. Charles and his wife Dori (or Mrs. Charles Kaufman, as Charles likes to call her) founded Bread & Cie. in December 1994. It was the first artisan bakery in San Diego. Chris Jurca became a partner in 1999.
Q: Is Charles, the founder French?
A: No. But close. He’s from New York and claims to know where France is.
Q: What the what?!
A: Before bread baking, Charles worked in a related field: producing, directing and writing “B” horror and action films.
The world in general and Charles’ wife, daughter and the greater San Diego area, in particular are better off as a result of the profession change.
Q: Where else do you sell your bread and pastries?
A: Select restaurants, supermarkets, hotels throughout the greater San Diego area. Also at the Hillcrest, La Mesa and Little Italy Farmers Markets.
Q: Is the passionate guy, Jeff who works at the Farmers Markets single?
A: Yes, and he prefers rich cougars. Please contact him through match.com for an interview.
Q: Do we offer gluten free bread?
A: Unfortunately, we don’t. We do what we know best which is make bread in the French style, which is with wheat. We do however offer a variety of gluten-free baked desserts and sweets.
Q: Is Bread and Cie. part of a franchise?
A: There is only ONE Bread & Cie Café, right in the heart of Hillcrest.
Q: Do you have to be pierced and tattooed to work at Bread & Cie.?
A: No, but after working with Charles you may want to be. Many employees document their survival on their bodies. Actually, we are very proud our front counter staff. They are an eclectic bunch who reflect the creative and artistic sensibilities of the Hillcrest community. Most have backgrounds in music, art, writing, theatre, and wild animal training.
Q: We know you bake 365 days-a-year but what daily hours are people working at Bread & Cie.?
A: At our production facility, the lights do not go off. Our bread baking is a 24-hour-a-day process; mixing, shaping and baking. We adjust our gifted bakers’ schedules to coincide with the natural development of the dough, rather than molding the baking schedule to normal working hours. Most bakeries will retard the development of the dough (put it in a refrigerator), we don’t. This allows for the bread to be softer, tastier. So, basically we’ve decided to torture ourselves rather than the dough.
Q: Why do they call the Bread & Cie. Bakery/Cafe a “bread show?”
A: Bread & Cie. was designed so that our customers could witness and experience the whole bread baking process. From the lighting to the costuming, we want to enhance our customer’s sensory journey. Here, customers can watch our bakers mix, shape, knead, and bake our dough 364 days of the year. No matter what, the show goes on every single day except Christmas.
Q: How do you come up with a new bread flavor?
A: They’re either a result of a baker’s inspiration or customer demand. One exception is our Lemon Pugliese bread, a white, clean, thin-crisp-crusted citrus flavored bread. The idea of incorporating citrus products into bread came to Charles in a dream. This should tell you two things:
1) we love to use local produce and herbs (also try our Rosemary & Olive oil; Jalapeno & Cheese ) and
2) what an exciting life Charles leads that he spends his nights dreaming of bread flavors.
Q: Is your whole-wheat flour organic?
A: Yes. As are we.
Q: What do you do with your bread at the end of the day?
A: We do not sell day-old bread, so we donate it to Jewish Family Services, Casa Des Los Pobres (an orphanage in Tijuana), a battered women’s shelter, a home for AIDS patients, or a homeless shelter (a different charity every night).