Point Chevalier’s Daily Bread is an all-new bakery-cum-café-and-deli from executive chef Tom Hishon, and manager Josh Helm, the brains behind Orphans Kitchen, along with Patrick Welzenbach, who last year was named New Zealand’s best baker.
“We try to curate our offering so you can stop by and pick up a few weekly essentials,” says Patrick. “It’s how we like to shop ourselves — selecting a few high-quality staples that are fresh and full of nutrients. Our bakery and deli offers up sourdough loaves, buns and pastries, alongside jars of pickles, avos and eggs that you can take home.”
The baker reveals that they have been “overwhelmed with support and kindness” from the community since the grand opening on 12 January this year. “We could not have anticipated lines out of the door on day one,” he adds. “It felt good to have such a huge response after slogging away for months on this project. It’s quickly become a local hangout and we love how our regular customers host their friends and families here.”
The stylish café sports and open-plan kitchen and sits in the old art deco bank, the historic setting reflected in the choice of many of the foods on offer — and the old school processes used to prepare them (think smoking, baking, curing and pickling). “Our first lot of sourdough hot cross buns have just come out of the oven for Easter,” beams Patrick, “and they’re flying out of the door!” Other baked treats proving irresistible include the hazelnut croissants and sourdough baguettes “best eaten out of the oven as is, or with a little olive oil or butter”.
“The team often jokes that if something tastes delicious and looks simple, the harder it is to make,” Patrick tells me. “We strive for simple execution in all our products, use wholesome ingredients and are committed to sustainable practices where possible.” All flour is New Zealand sourced, and either spray-free or organic. “We don’t use commercial yeast,” Patrick continues, “only natural leaven, and explore traditional food preservation methods to ensure that our food is nutrient-dense. This approach takes time and a lot of hard work but it’s definitely worth it.”
Judging by the pictures that make it onto social media, it’s definitely paying off, too: “So far, our sourdough loaves and the jars of kimchi seem to be going on a fair few picnics!”
Preparations are well under way to ensure a warm Daily Bread welcome once the sunshine has become a distant memory also. “We are in the process of weather-proofing the courtyard so that customers can still dine with us as we head into the winter months,” says Patrick. “We just get such a kick out of seeing familiar faces bringing friends or family in who have never visited before. Weekends here are usually the most fast paced for our team — more often than not it’s a full house with kids, dogs, and cyclists making use of the bike rack out back.”
Words: Jamie Christian Desplaces / Image: Michael Hishon
1210 Great North Road, Pt Chevalier
Open MON—SUN: 7AM — 3PM
dailybread.co.nz — HELLO@DAILYBREAD.CO.NZ
