Walnut clads the walls and booth surrounds; the stools are by chairs.
Walnut clads the walls and booth surrounds; the stools are by chairs.

March 28, 2022

Words: Jesse Dorris

Photography: James Chororos

A New Bread Alone Bakery by Dino Sanchez and Piotr Woronkowicz Rises in the Catskills

Bread Alone has been a fixture in New York pantries for some four decades. This spring, they have gone back to the start with a new 8,000-square-foot space in Boiceville, New York. Dino Sanchez and Piotr Woronkowicz designed the space to pay homage to the local topography—and, as a net-zero facility, not infringe upon it.

“Bread Alone is constantly evolving and modernizing its methodologies and ways of thinking,” says CEO Nels Leader. “Our design had to be a reflection of these ideologies: a modernity respectful and harmonious with nature.” To that end, arched windows take the shape of the nearby mountains while framing views of them. The team crafted custom tabletops of 100% post-consumer recycled paper, searched out FSC-certified wood for the chairs and communal tables, and sourced furnishings from local fabricators including New York’s own Workstead. Other areas pay homage to local heroes: tile in the bathroom, for example, is patterned after the work of Ellsworth Kelly and Frank Stella. 

The team gutted the previous space; its new incarnation utilizes a bright palette to inspire a brighter future. As a 100% carbon neutral bakery,” Leader says, “it is truly a hallmark of possibility, happening within the Catskill Mountains.” And your local bread basket. 

A Workstead chandelier hangs above a custom, white oak communal table; the floor is also white oak.
A Workstead chandelier hangs above a custom, white oak communal table; the floor is also white oak.
The new Optimum Window storefront system was manufactured just down the road.
The new Optimum Window storefront system was manufactured just down the road.
Walnut clads the walls and booth surrounds; the stools are by chairs.
Walnut clads the walls and booth surrounds; the stools are by chairs.
The new solar-powered oven and original wood-burning oven sit on the same plane to emphasize the bakery’s evolution.
The new solar-powered oven and original wood-burning oven sit on the same plane to emphasize the bakery’s evolution.
The original Lefort wood-burning oven is fueled by renewable scrap wood.
The original Lefort wood-burning oven is fueled by renewable scrap wood.
A Muuto pendant hangs over a booth covered by CF Stinson polyurethane and a custom café table.
A Muuto pendant hangs over a booth covered by CF Stinson polyurethane and a custom café table.
Menu sconces and a Rejuvenation mirror hangs above a custom vanity, Paper Stone countertop, and sink with Brio faucet; the tile is by Nemo Tile + Stone.
Menu sconces and a Rejuvenation mirror hangs above a custom vanity, Paper Stone countertop, and sink with Brio faucet; the tile is by Nemo Tile + Stone.
A custom white oak table displays loafs and other treats.
A custom white oak table displays loafs and other treats.

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