Mission Statement
Our goal is to communicate our passion, creativity, and quality of character with every freshly baked loaf. Our business is about bringing bread to life. We are committed to the satisfaction of our customers, the welfare of our employees and the spirit of our shareholders.

We recognize that fiscal responsibility and respect for the environment go hand in hand. The health and well-being of our communities begins with artful nutrition. It is our mission to bring a loaf of La Brea Bakery bread to every table.

Letter From Nancy
We are proud to share with you the beautiful mystery of great bread. It is not easy to make…but natural and instinctual to savor. The most important ingredient in cultivating our sourdough starter is patience. With each bit of La Brea Bakery bread, you are not only tasting the inner and outer beauty of a perfectly burnished loaf…you are tasting the essence of time. Great bread is the result  of slow risings. At La Brea Bakery we are willing to wait for the flavor, texture, and good looks that make for the perfect hearth baked loaf. And we are even willing to put up with the temperamental attitude of our living, breathing, growing, dough.

With the right climate and care, our naturally leavened dough matures into a loaf of bread that is neither squishy nor pale. The crust is solid but not impenetrable…and blistered with tiny fermentation bubbles. There is a natural sheen to the skin of the bread. It is solid, but not heavy. The edges are rounded.

The texture is elastic and not rubbery. It is porous…but there are no empty holes or gaping air pockets. Upon your first bite, the crackle of the crust gives way to a caramelized layer of crunch that surrounds the loaf. There is a slight sweetness and developed tang of fermentation…in one wonderful taste. After days spent growing and feeding the starter, hours mixing the dough, shaping the loaf, babysitting the rise and the bake…it is complete.

I invite you to make La Brea Bakery breads a part of your everyday eating experience. Bring authenticity to your table. Respect your palette. Set the standard higher for your favorite sandwich. We take the time to make great bread.

And great bread is just the beginning.

Best Wishes,
Nancy Silverton
Founder, La Brea Bakery

Our Story
In 1988, Chef Nancy Silverton was making plans to open the restaurant Campanile in Los Angeles, CA with partners Mark Peel and Manfred Krankl. She soon discovered that if they wanted to serve the kind of authentic hearth-baked bread that embodied the quality reflected in the restaurant's menu, she would have to bake the bread herself.

It was then that Silverton embarked upon the journey of teaching herself the ancient art of artisan bread baking. There would be no short-cut to creating the wonderful tastes and textures of naturally, handmade bread. After a great deal of trial and error, Silverton developed her very own starter from scratch. Using flour, water, and wild yeasts from the skin of organic grapes, she created a living, breathing masterpiece that would ultimately become the signature ingredient in every single loaf of La Brea Bakery bread.

When La Brea Bakery opened its doors in January 1989, no one knew that the small storefront would soon spark an artisan bread renaissance in southern California…and ultimately set the standard for artisan bread across the nation. Silverton first started selling her artisan breads to other local chefs…and it became apparent that her audience was growing. Word spread and soon customers were lined up outside each morning before the bakery opened. Passionate patrons would often fight over the last loaf of the day.

Silverton’s original creativity, passion and uncompromising dedication led to the development of over 100 varieties of award-winning breads. It is this high standard of quality that continues to set La Brea Bakery apart. In our efforts to meet the increasing demand for high quality, crusty loaves, we have never compromised the original craftsmanship, long proofing process and all-natural ingredients.                                               

La Brea Bakery now has three artisan bakeries in the U.S. located in Los Angeles, CA, Van Nuys, CA and Swedesboro, NJ. The question of being able to meet the demand for the crusty golden loaves born in the small L.A. bakery has now been answered.  With a bakery located on each coast, the artisan loaves of South La Brea Avenue are now readily available to customers everywhere.