ANNE WATSON PHOTOGRAPHY |
and Spreads — when the lease ended and was without a head baker — then started from scratch with her own Bread Artisan Bakery , building it up through hard work and fueled by copious cups of Americano from Laguna Coffee Co .
“ To be honest , the intent was to sell my dad ’ s bakery after my father died , but then the stars somehow aligned ,” LoFranco says . “ Bread Artisan Bakery is my passion now and I love every minute of it .”
LoFranco ’ s business acumen along with her determination and outgoing nature would translate to additional accounts and continuous growth . “ I have more of a mathematical , business mind , but I love being around energetic , creative people ,” she says .
In 2011 , her first client , a landmark Anaheim theme park , would lay a foundation
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for the growth of Bread Artisan Bakery , which will soon be known simply as Bread . Expanding from one to 11 delivery vehicles , the bakery ’ s goods are now found in more than 300 dining rooms and eateries throughout the region , with a local roundup including Nick ’ s , Ahba , Montage and Sapphire , Cellar- Craft Cook in Laguna , and Marché Moderne and Mario ’ s Butcher Shop in Newport Beach . Locals also find her company ’ s breads in a very popular neighborhood grocery retailer throughout Orange County and Long Beach .
Yet LoFranco emphatically gives much of the credit to her talented master baker Yannick Guegan . She unknowingly tried Yannick ’ s baking while dining at French 75 years ago , not realizing who he was nor that his current place of employment was closing until a mutual friend introduced them .
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After three years of working together , Guegan would ultimately become a partner in the bakery and they would move the operation from San Juan Capistrano to its existing home in Santa Ana .
THE PROOF Born in the Brittany region of France , Guegan ’ s talent for baking has been refined over the course of 40-plus years . He not only runs the bakery side of the business , he works seven days a week — by choice . “ Why not ? There ’ s always something to do ,” he says . As the weekend approaches , Guegan begins prep at midnight on pastries from croissants to tarts for the multiple farmers markets ( including Laguna Beach ) where they set up shop , always keeping the specific inventory a surprise until the team loads the
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LAGUNA BEACH MAGAZINE 67 |