Diamond Bakery was a Jewish bakery located on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles. Founded in 1946 by Betty and Jack Segal, the bakery was sold to a group of Holocaust survivors in 1969, and sold again to a group of its employees shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, it again came under new ownership after financial trouble during the pandemic led head baker Ramon Luna to consider shutting the bakery down. The bakery closed permanently on December 3, 2023.
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 Diamond Bakery rooftop sign in 2019 | |
| Formation | 1946 |
|---|---|
| Founders | Betty and Jack Segal |
| Founded at | Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, California |
| Dissolved | December 3, 2023 |
| Location |
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| Owner |
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| Website | www |
Diamond Bakery supplied breads, bagels, and other baked goods to various Jewish delis in the Los Angeles area, including Nate 'n Al's as well as Greenblatt's prior to its closure, and to synagogues including the Wilshire Boulevard Temple. The bakery also sold baked goods at its storefront on Fairfax Avenue, where activity tended to increase on important Jewish holidays.[1] Upon the closure of Diamond Bakery, its decades-old sourdough starter and bread recipes were sold to wholesale company Bread Los Angeles.
History
editEstablishment
editDiamond Bakery was established in 1946 by Betty Segal and Jack Segal,[2] Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe who brought their recipes with them. The bakery was initially in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, before being moved[3] to 335 North Fairfax Avenue, where it remained until its closing.[4] This move corresponded with an influx of Jews coming to Fairfax from Boyle Heights after the Supreme Court of the United States issued a decision that struck down racially restrictive housing covenants, which previously prevented Jews and other minorities from purchasing housing in western Los Angeles. Canter's, a Jewish deli previously located in Boyle Heights, also moved to Fairfax Avenue in 1948.[5]
The Segals, along with Diamond Bakery's first workers, were recent Jewish immigrants.[5] The bakery's sourdough starter is believed to have been active for more than a century, which would make it older than the bakery itself;[6] its age has also been reported as 75 years.[5]
The Lottmans and Rubensteins
editIn 1969, the Segals sold Diamond Bakery to two couples: Arlene and Sol Lottman and Nate and Ruth Rubinstein. Three of the four new owners were Holocaust survivors;[5] some literature suggests that the couples first met at Auschwitz concentration camp.[2] Ruth Rubinstein retired in 2019, passing ownership to a son;[5] Mark Lottman, Arlene and Sol's son, subsequently managed the bakery.[2] Shortly after Rubinstein's retirement, Lottman decided to close the bakery, but instead sold it to a group of its Latino employees; many of them had been working at Diamond Bakery for decades.[5]
Sale to employees
editShortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, Mark Lottman sold Diamond Bakery to its longtime head baker Ramon Luna and a group of other employees. The employees pooled their money in order to make the purchase.[2] Luna's son Raymond Luna served as president of the bakery, and before the pandemic purchased the bakery's first card reader and coffee bar as well as installing chalkboard menus.[6] However, the loss of both foot traffic and wholesaling opportunities due to the pandemic forced Luna to consider closing permanently.[2] Hours were cut to avoid layoffs.[6] In July 2020, Diamond Bakery had made baked goods available on various online food ordering platforms and started a GoFundMe campaign with the goal of raising $400,000 to stay open.[7]
Hollander and Weinstein
editPeople say to me, 'Oh, you're the new owner.' I just pay the bills. It's a community thing, I'm just responsible for keeping it going.
– Doug Weinstein[1]
In early 2021, Brian Hollander and Doug Weinstein drove to Los Angeles from their hometown of Santa Barbara, California, to visit Canter's deli. Hollander and Weinstein, who had become friends while cooking meals for the elderly and baking challah with the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara, visited Diamond Bakery after Canter's; the two establishments are located on adjacent blocks. Luna and Weinstein had already met, and Luna gave the two men a tour. They decided to purchase Diamond Bakery before leaving, and began brainstorming a business plan while driving back to Santa Barbara. Weinstein, an experienced pastry chef, became chief operating officer and director of bakery operations, while Hollander became chief operating officer and director of business operations. Hollander also became director of L'Dor V'Dough, the newly established nonprofit arm of the bakery. Luna was named the chief baking officer.[2]
Hollander and Weinstein implemented a profit sharing model in which shares in the bakery are set aside for the employees and pay out in the form of bonus pay and retirement packages, and additionally gave all employees a pay raise.[1] On June 28, 2021, Diamond Bakery held a re-opening event.[2]
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Changes in the makeup of the Fairfax District led to continued struggle for Diamond Bakery, as Jewish life in Los Angeles shifted toward Pico-Robertson and streetwear stores proliferated on Fairfax Avenue. Some neighboring businesses closed, and some regular customers at the bakery died.[5]
In November 2023, the Larchmont Chronicle reported that operations at "Jewish institution" Diamond Bakery were continuing but that Weinstein had expressed that business was difficult.[4] The bakery closed permanently on December 3, 2023, after 77 years in operation.[5] Doug Weinstein told Eater that the bakery was not profitable even with a combination of in-store, online, and delivery sales, and that maintenance of the retail location was too expensive; he stated that the water pipes at the location were failing.[8] The original recipes for Diamond Bakery bread, and the bakery's sourdough starter, were sold to wholesaler Bread Los Angeles;[5] breads are sold at Viktor Benes Continental Bakery and at certain Gelson's Markets locations.[8]
As of October 9, 2024, the roof of the Bakery, and the adjoining building, had caved in. The cause is currently unknown.
References
edit- ^ a b c Elliott, Farley (September 17, 2021). "New Owners of LA's Most Important Jewish Bakery Work to Carry on a 75-Year Legacy". Eater LA. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Wall, Alix (July 7, 2021). "Diamond Bakery's new owners want it to be a force for change—and for great marbled rye". The Forward. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ "Babka and rye: recipes that haven't changed since the 1940s". KCRW. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ a b Friedman, Nona Sue (November 30, 2023). "Diamond Bakery, a gem for more than 75 years and many generations". Larchmont Chronicle. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Estrin, Robin (December 14, 2023). "Iconic Diamond Bakery closes, but rye starter lives on". KCRW. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c Lelyveld, Nina (August 15, 2020). "A beloved L.A. bakery's fight to survive the coronavirus reminds us to help out places we'd miss". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ Elliott, Farley (July 21, 2020). "Fairfax's 74-Year-Old Diamond Bakery Seeks Public Help as Pandemic Struggles Continue". Eater LA. Archived from the original on January 4, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ a b Chaplin, Cathy (December 6, 2023). "Jewish Institution Diamond Bakery Closes on Fairfax But Will Continue Selling Loaves Around LA". Eater LA. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
External links
edit- Official website
- Keeping the 100-year-old starter alive in the Fairfax District on KCRW Good Food podcast