Bread delivered fresh and warm

Frank Gaffney: “I’d been bartending for 10 plus years now."

In late March when stay-at-home orders were initially put into place, one item seemed to be in higher demand than toilet paper. Yeast. Because simply put, some people cannot live without their bread.

Many people reported they couldn’t find any yeast for sale, so much so, that in April, Con Pane Rustic Breads stepped in and donated yeast to the community so people could bake bread at home. In May, a biologist noticed that people were "yeast-hoarding’" and even gave lessons on how to make your own.

However, a better solution came along to help out in Ocean Beach and Point Loma, the bread man. Think old school milkman, but with bread. Fresh, warm, crusty loaves, hand-delivered right to your doorstep.

"I got to working and did some math and slowly scaled everything up."

“I’ve been baking since I was a kid,” Frank Gaffney explains. “So as soon as the stay-at-home orders were put in place my eyes lit up when I realized I would have all this time to finally pursue this…I didn’t really know what was going on with my job, and unemployment was a huge mess, so I figured I’d just do what I was good at, which was making bread. I put some feelers out there, seeing if anyone was interested and within an hour I had 20 orders. Naturally I freaked out, as I did not expect that response, but I got to working and did some math and slowly scaled everything up and its been working out ever since.”

Gaffney, who was bartending before the pandemic, is happier now despite the smaller paycheck.

“I’d been doing that (bartending) for 10 plus years now,” the 32-year old says, “Stellar money but not really rewarding at the end of the day. It’s a huge pay cut going from the bar business to baking business. But I’m genuinely happier now. And having no boss is always a plus! I meet so many quirky people delivering to Ocean Beach and Point Loma, it’s amazing.”

“I do bake them at home for now."

Since starting, he’s delivered to almost 500 people, and often sells out, this creates a waiting list for his loaves, which include: classic country; roasted garlic & rosemary; mixed olive; cheddar & jalapeno; and of course sourdough.

“I’m making anywhere from 20-50 loaves per week, depending on how much energy I have. I do bake them at home for now. I’ve already outgrown it, so I have to keep orders to a specific number each week. I don’t want to jump into anything bigger just yet, as I’m not sure if orders will keep coming in when the rest of the world opens up…my most popular loaf is probably the roasted garlic and rosemary loaf. But my favorite is the everything-seeded loaf (not on the menu), it reminds me of the NY everything bagels. I’ll make it if anyone asks. I do donate some of them to elderly neighbors or friends in need.”

The loaves vary in price from $8-$12.

https://www.instagram.com/bornandbreadsd/