On Friday, April 7th, ALF Bakery debuted at the Chelsea Market. The bakery from industry veteran Amadou Ly opened on the lower “Chelsea Local” level.
ALF Bakery offers freshly baked breads, viennoiserie, pastries, and sandwiches. The bakery specializes in items that utilize the process of lamination – dough that has been made with many layers of flour and butter, creating rich flavor and delicate, light and flaky textures.
Fascinated by the fermentation process and traditions of bread making, Amadou strongly believes in minimal interaction during the bread making process: le pain vivant (living bread). Having worked at some of the most respected and innovative fine dining kitchens in NYC as a pastry chef and chocolatier (Jean-Georges, Insieme, and All Good Things, to name a few), Amadou turned his focus to artisanal baking at the iconic Arcade Bakery, where he perfected his skills under the tutelage of Roger Gural for five years before it closed in 2019.
By allowing his doughs at ALF to naturally ferment, and continuing to experiment with methods and techniques, Amadou’s creations are flavorful. Inspired by the traditional boulangeries of France, Amadou will bake at staggered times during the day to continually offer the freshest products possible.
The opening menu features several traditional style of breads (baguettes, epi, sourdough loaves, miche), viennoiserie (croissants with almonds and chocolate, pain au chocolat) and pastries (chocolate babka with ganache made from scratch, pain perdu).
In addition to daily specials, highlights will include several signature and unique products that Amadou has spent years evolving and perfecting, including:
- Laminated baguette – a baguette wrapped in intricately scored laminated dough. Available plain, or with sesame + poppy seeds, and ham and gruyere layered under the lamination
- Rosemary black olive fougasse focaccia
- Laminated brioche – is laminated with extra butter that results in a richer and lighter loaf with beautiful swirled appearance
- Flan du boulanger – a traditional, rustic-style French tart made with flan (light egg custard) filling in puff pastry
- ALF will also offer sandwiches, including ham and cheese with butter on baguette, Tunisian tuna served open-face on sourdough, and chicken with roast peppers on focaccia.
For the opening, the bakery will be open Wednesday – Sunday from 9am to 6pm with plans to expand days of operation in the future.
