Keith McNally did not intend to build an industrial baking empire. When he launched Balthazar on Spring Street in the spring of 1997, his focus centered on resurrecting the boisterous energy of a classic Parisian brasserie. He distressed the mirrors, imported zinc bar fixtures, and bathed the dining room in amber lighting.
Bread served at the tables had to match the romantic atmosphere. McNally insisted on authentic, crackling baguettes and complex sourdough made using traditional French methods. Customers did not merely eat the bread; they demanded to take loaves home.
To satisfy diners, McNally opened an adjacent pocket-sized retail storefront next to the dining room. Within months, executive chefs across downtown Manhattan began asking if McNally would supply their kitchens as well. The restaurant's subterranean bakery, cramped and overheated, soon reached a breaking point. Bakers worked overlapping shifts around the clock, dodging servers carrying trays of oysters and steak frites. By 1999, the Manhattan basement was producing thousands of pounds of dough daily in conditions that were no longer sustainable.
