Santa Fe’s gourmet youthquake: Three businesses to savor
MOLLY BOYLE / albuquerque JOURNAL

A few years ago, a common saying around town went something like this: “Santa Fe eats its young.”

Squeezed by an impossible housing market, a lack of viable jobs and nightlife, and a city that often felt dominated by retirees, much of the under-40 crowd seemed to move to Santa Fe and leave shortly thereafter – or, if they were born and raised here, leave to seek greener pastures out of state.

But if the restaurant industry is any indication of a demographic shift, a new set of self-taught foodsters, all in their 30s, is changing the local landscape. They’re rolling with the COVID-19 punches, sourcing ingredients as close to home as possible, and innovating how we order and eat. Here are three to watch – and support.

BREAD SHOP ON THE RISE
MARIA MANUELA - new mexico magazine

FROM THE DAY Jacob and Mayme Brenner opened Bread Shop in January, loaves have floated out the door. It’s no wonder, given the artisanal caliber of bread this little Santa Fe shop produces, consistently attaining a perfect balance between crunchy shell and soft webs of dough inside. 

Bread Shop specializes in levain, or naturally leavened loaves. “The dough rises because it is seeded with wild, airborne yeasts and beneficial bacteria,” Jacob says. “It is a much slower approach to making bread, which leads to both heightened flavor and nutrition.” 

Santa Fe’s new Bread Shop is on the rise
Glen Rosales / Albuquerque journal

Jacob Brenner is not exactly a classically trained baker. And he’s not exactly self-taught, either.

But however he learned, he learned well as his new bakery, Bread Shop, is quickly becoming a local sensation.

“With baking, I really hesitate to say I’m self-taught because I have had so many food people around me, and encouraging me and giving me tips,” Brenner said.

A Santa Fe native who attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, Brenner put himself through school working in restaurants, and discovered a flair and passion for the food biz.

Santa Fe's new Bread Shop quickly draws a crowd to Lena Street
KRISTIN ROBY / SANTA FE NEW MEXICAN

It’s just about noon on a Friday, and the bright, trim new Bread Shop on Lena Street is bustling.

The bakery has been open for about an hour, and the slices of plain focaccia have all been snatched up. For the moment, there are still hearty loaves of sourdough boule, spears of baguette and dark, heavy loaves of seeded rye.

In the span of just a few minutes, the cookies go from a half-dozen to four, to two, to one. Moments after a customer in line claims the last nutty, sweet-savory treat, a newcomer pipes up, “Hey, do you have any cookies left?”

Let Them Eat Bread
COLE Rehbein / Santa fe reporter

Within two minutes of arriving back at SFR HQ with a bag of Jacob Brenner's bread, folks were shook. I brought out a beautiful sourdough baby boule ($6) and a square of focaccia topped with green olives and preserved lemon ($4) which were quickly devoured with smiles and compliments.

The focaccia was the star: Briney olive danced on the tongue with acidic lemon before giving way to a hint of sweetness and the hearty bread base. Everyone was excited and generally in a much better mood than before the bread arrived. It's hard to add on to their shining review, but I'll do my best.