Milling & Baking News - April 7, 2020 - 26

Bread Product Perspective

Bricks Bakery. It was served at a restaurant
in the Mount Adams neighborhood where
he had recently moved.
"I actually tried his bread on a Thursday, and I was at the bakery on the following Tuesday," he said. "It is the best
bread I've ever had in my life, so I asked
him if he wanted to partner. He said yes,
and we made a deal."
After a short time, Sixteen Bricks
moved into a vacant space owned and
outfitted by Klosterman Baking with a
MIWE deck oven (Michael Wenz Gmbh),
automatic loaders and a range of equipment manufactured by Rheon Automatic
Machinery Co., Ltd.
"It is highly efficient and makes good
product in a nice footprint," Mr. Klosterman said.
He said Sixteen Bricks continues to
operate with considerable independence, five years after the joint venture
with Mr. Morgan was established.
"I won't tell Babe Ruth how to hold his
bat," Mr. Klosterman said.
The business has continued to gain

acclaim and grow. It recently was the
subject of a feature article in Esquire
magazine.
"He has close to 80 SKUs (stock-keeping units)," Mr. Klosterman said. "Some
go in and out, but he does a lot of long
ferments, a lot of sourdough. The formula is flour, water and salt. He doesn't
add yeast because it's a natural fermentation and really good stuff. He's doing a
lot of rye and some sweet goods as well.
They're awesome and growing fast."
While the business has enjoyed rapid
growth over the last five years, its focus
mostly has been on fine dining, Mr. Klosterman said.
"That's a tough time right now," he said.
Fortunately, beginning more than a
year ago, Sixteen Bricks launched a trial
to slowly introduce its products into the
retail channel.
"Strategically we didn't necessarily
want to get into retail in a bigger way, but
right now it seems to be the right thing,"
Mr. Klosterman said.
Production flexibility in its baking

plants always has been a key for Klosterman to meet customer needs, and a
new plant in Boone County, Ky., is no exception, Mr. Klosterman said. The facility
opened in January 2019.
"We try to build all our plants so they are
flexible," he said. "For instance, even our
high-speed lines have steam availability in
the ovens, which isn't that typical. We tend
to try to be a little more flexible than the average player so we can move and change
quickly. What the new plant allowed us to
do is take some pressure off some of our
other bakeries. Also, we were buying some
products, and we've been able to bring
some of those into house. Plus, we have
some very good customers that we've
grown with. That's also helpful, and we've
pretty much got ourselves back to getting
close to operating at full capacity."
While pleased by the performance of
the new baking plant, Mr. Klosterman expressed caution about the outlook, given
the likely continued pressure facing the
foodservice side of the business because
of the coronavirus pandemic. Klosterman

From crash to crash, Florida baker determined to endure

OLD SCHOOL BAKERY

Old School Bakery had been established in 1997 by a 60-year-old doctor
DELRAY BEACH, FLA. - When he graduated from Emory University in
1986, William B. Himmelrich had his eye on a career in high finance. He who was in practice with his son.
"His life fantasy was to be in the bakery business," he said. "He built this
landed a job with a prestigious employer - J.P. Morgan & Co.
The allure of his chosen career faded abruptly in October 1987, when bakery on Atlantic Avenue. It was like Panera before it became Panera."
Mr. Himmelrich described the operation as a "Ferrari of a bakery."
the Dow Jones average of industrial shares plunged 22.6% in a single day.
The business was not performing well.
"I said, 'To hell with this; I'm going to learn to do
"He was 16 months in and a million six upsides
something that I can do with my hands,'" Mr. Himdown," Mr. Himmelrich said.
melrich, known as Billy, said. "Because no matter
Mr. Himmelrich acquired the business and
what kind of crazy thing happens in the world, I'll
shifted Old School's focus from its retail baking
be able to survive it. It was a good decision."
emphasis.
Good except that as a wholesale baker fo"My brother Alfie is much better at the retail
cused principally on high-end hospitality and
business than I am," Mr. Himmelrich said. "I
foodservice establishments, Mr. Himmelrich once
enjoy working with the chefs and running the
again faces a market crash.
wholesale business."
"Nothing compares to this at all!" Mr. HimmelHe focused on the area's renowned high-end
rich, who owns Old School Bakery, Delray Beach,
hospitality and foodservice customers.
said. "I live in Palm Beach County. I'm used to
"It had one delivery van and a great location,"
hurricanes. I've opened and closed my bakery a
he said. "I went out, and I got the Breakers.
half dozen times over the last 20 years. The operaWhen I got the Breakers, I got Ta-boo. And I went
tional aspects of it we're able to handle, but the
out in Palm Beach and sold the high end because
overall loss in business is ridiculous."
His sales have tumbled from $20,000 on a Billy Himmelrich, owner of Old School Bakery, that's what I know how to do. Because I ran the
good day and $26,000 on Super Bowl Sunday, to has endured many hurricanes in Florida but a Stone Mill Bakery that way."
Ultimately, the retail store was closed as retail
$3,200 a day in recent weeks.
pandemic is new terrain for the artisan baker.
traffic on Atlantic Avenue ebbed.
"We're delivering to 40 places instead of 200,
"It didn't make sense to have a little 500-square-foot bakery cafe," he said.
running two trucks instead of eight," Mr. Himmelrich said. He describes Old
Instead, he opened what essentially is an outlet store.
School as a small artisan baking company with 47 employees.
"We call it cash and carry," he said. "It's a place for us to put our proFluent in French, Mr. Himmelrich moved to France after leaving J.P. Morgan. He studied at two cooking schools - La Varenne and Ritz Escoffier. After duction overrun. And then, ultimately, when the stuff is still good but not
working as a baker at I Ricci, a Tuscan restaurant in Washington, the Baltimore great, it goes to Palm Beach County Food Bank. So, it's zero waste."
To meet the exacting needs of his client base, from the toniest to the most canative returned to his hometown in 1990 and established Stone Mill Bakery, a
bakery cafe. In the late 1990s, he and his wife moved to Florida, where she has sual, product innovation is a constant for Old School Bakery, Mr. Himmelrich said.
"We always develop new products," he said. "We have 1,000 SKUs
family. His brother Alfie has been running Stone Mill ever since.
(stock-keeping units) with 15 different doughs. We're the semi-custom
"I started over again," he said.
Opportunity struck in 1999.
Continued on Page 28
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