Tom McKenna spent four years as a line cook at now-defunct Northside farm-to-table institution Slims before switching his focus to bread. He went on to mix and shape loaves at Blue Oven Bakery before bringing his bread skills to Dutch’s in East Hyde Park. These days Dutch’s is a client of McKenna’s new solo venture: Allez Bakery on Main Street.
Photograph by Aaron M. Conway.
“We’re making traditional French sourdough breads. Right now there are yeasted baguettes being sold in France, but before commercial yeast, fermentation was the original leavening agent,” he explains. “I do as much natural and organic flour as I can but we use as much seed and whole grains as the local market allows.” An avid cyclist, McKenna named his OTR bakery after the shout of encouragement that fans yell at passing cyclists during a race. As far as we’re concerned, the only real race is scoring a loaf (or two) of his Castelvetrano olive and thyme bread before it sells out.
Allez Bakery, 1208 Main St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 381-6700, allezbakery.com
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