We are thrilled to reveal our collaboration with the folks of Blackbird Spyplane: an all-linen bread bag, made in NYC, for the ultimate care and counter storage of your loaves. Whether homemade or purchased from your favorite local bakery, this Belgian linen drawstring receptacle is the professionally-approved best method of keeping your bread fresh longer. Linen breathes and moisture-wicks, and thus keeps your bread contained without trapping moisture and leading to mold. It won't keep the bread from going stale in eternity, but it will stay fresher tasting with a nicer texture than in plastic or cotton.
The Blackbird Spyplane x Blluemade Bread Bag (BBSPBBB) was made in a limited run with the finest Belgian undyed linen from the same historic mill that makes the fabric we use for garments. The breadbag is sewn in NYC's historic garment district, with an overlock seam on the outside of a curved shape so crumbs don't get trapped in pesky corners. The drawstring is a natural cotton twill tape and the bag is hand-stamped with a custom design referencing 1970s illustrations of wheat.
To celebrate our collaboration, we reached out to our friend Amadou Ly, the baker and owner behind ALF Bakery, a new and much-lauded destination for laminated and non-laminated pastry and bread in the lower level of NYC's Chelsea Market, for a conversation and photoshoot around this launch. Amadou trained at some of NYC's finest establishments, and brings a sincere and studied work ethic to the craft. Please read our interview with Amadou below to learn more about his background and work at ALF!
BLL: I've read that you came to the States after growing up in Senegal and Togo to be an academic. What were you going to study? What attracted you to the culinary industry instead of academics?
A: I was admitted to the Wharton School of Economics but never made it to Philadelphia. I landed in New York and fell in love with the city and settled here instead. I started making a little pocket money working as a dishwasher at Union Pacific, doing ESL classes through City College. I fell in love with the city; I met my wife Kinga in that ESL class; and I fell in love with the culinary arts.
Philippe Fallait is an amazing pastry chef who was at Union Pacific. I helped him once in a while and fell in love with making desserts. I worked my way up from dishwasher and ended up learning under him in pastry for a year.
BLL: We met through mutual friends who loved your work at Arcade Bakery, which was a beloved Tribeca institution that closed a few years ago. How long did you work there, what attracted you to it?
A: I was at All Good Things near Arcade for a few years, and when it closed, my friend took me to try Arcade’s croissants and have breakfast. It was a revelation. I hadn’t had a croissant like that in a long time. I asked Roger Gural, the owner, if I could trial with him, and after two to three months he hired me.
BLL: After Roger Gural decided to close Arcade, did you know you wanted to open your own place right away? Had it always been a goal?
A: Opening my own place, it was always in my mind. Besides baking, I do savory, chocolate… I thought about opening a wine bar which is still on my mind. But once Arcade decided to close, I felt there was nothing like it left in NYC. Why not open my own to bring back the old Arcade menu with my own twist. Roger Gural is an absolute master of the French tradition of baked goods. I was humbled by his knowledge and work ethic and his generosity to share all he knew with his bakers. It’s his recipes that live on at ALF.
BLL: What were your favorite aspects of your previous restaurant jobs? Is there anything about them you miss?
A: I miss the creativity of plating desserts, chocolate work and the vast possibilities of the pastry kitchens. I miss the fast pace of the NYC kitchens... Sometimes! And the nightlife after hours!
BLL: What is your favorite style of bread or pastry to eat? What is the item or items you're doing at ALF that you're most proud of?
A: I love my classics. My favorites are croissants and baguettes. I am proud of the consistency and quality of all the products.
BLL: Tell me more about the laminated baguette... what is the genesis of this idea? Is it more challenging to make than say a regular croissant or regular baguette?
A: Laminated baguette is one of these pieces done at bread competitions, it's usually just seen in a professional context of competitions and shows. It's time consuming, not a lot of bakers have a lamination background... usually bakers do breads and baguettes OR they do croissants and laminated goods. But I know how to do both. I hire people and coach them, but it takes time. We do 36 laminated baguettes a day, we do 100s of regular baguettes a day. A good (non-laminated) baguette is a great thing too.
BLL: What tips do you have for home bakers?
A: Patience and good quality ingredients!
BLL: How do you store your breads at home? Do any of them last long enough to get stored? And what does someone who makes breads all day like to eat?
A: I have linen bags for my breads but sometimes I freeze them sliced. I like simple good food. A nice steak or fish and some veggies. And always the best quality of ingredients that I can find.
BLL: Why do you prefer linen bags for storing bread?
A: Linen bags are a living thing, and bread is a living thing. You really dont' want to store bread in a plastic bag, because the humidity gets trapped inside which brings mold in and ruins your bread. Linen bags, it's a fabric that allows the bread to breathe through the linen and allows it to keep for a few days. In the bakery, we use a linen couche, comes from the French couchey(*), it's a linen wrap where the bread sits and is shaped for an hour or so before it is baked and it absorbs the moisture and helps it stay together. A regular fabric wouldn't do the work.
BLL: Your wife Kinga is a talented florist. I see her work at ALF... do your interests or businesses influence each other in other ways? Are there things you do or create at ALF because of Kinga?
A: We like to follow the seasons and the materials we use are often season and farmers market inspired. It’s simple but elevated, the work that we both do.
All images taken at ALF Bakery by Travis Brown. Amadou is wearing the Blluemade Type Jacket in steel velvet, the linen ball cap in black, and Blluemade pants and shirts from previous seasons.