My follow-up story today about the falling out between Charles Foulkes of Crust for Bread and Michael Altenberg of Crust Eat Real is not a happy one. If anything it just goes to show that organics ain’t all bouncing, blissed-out, free-range lambs, and can be just as full of rancor, regret, and bad mojo as any other business. Lost in the shuffle, though, was one point of interest. So, in a small attempt to restore the balance of the cosmos with some positivity I offer this:
In the course of my reporting, I needed to call Earthbound Farms in Carmel Valley, California, to fact-check whether organic empress Myra Goodman really was a regular customer of Foulkes–he’d credited Altenberg with the introduction. I had no reason to doubt it, just doing my job, ma’am. Well, not only is she a regular but her assistant e-mailed back Goodman’s ringing endorsement:
“I adore Charles’s bread. I discovered it at an event on my book tour in Chicago in January, and I always say just finding his bread would have been worth the 2 ½ years I spent writing the book! I have him Fed-X overnight about eight loaves at a time, and get an order every few weeks. I freeze all but one or two loaves, and it defrosts perfectly to use when I’m ready. Once defrosted, I store it according to his instructions: wrapped in the brown paper, cut side down. Its good for a week. My very favorite is the Laughing Crow Five Seed. My whole family is addicted, even the kids. I love that its not only incredibly delicious and unique, but its organic, high protein, and incredibly healthy!”
So there you go. My bread budget has only allowed me to try Foulkes’ stuff once, back when it was still for sale at The Cheese Stands Alone, so I’ll take her word for it.