Pastries

When I lived in Paris, I would walk to work at 4:45 a.m. to get to the kitchen door by 5 a.m. The streets smelled like cigarettes and wine from all the late-night revelers. Sometimes those revelers were just stumbling home. Every block or so, I’d pass the back door of a boulangerie, whose empty flour sacks were tossed in the street. The aroma of baguettes and morning pastries was enough to make my head spin.

The few hours before daybreak, when you’re baking the daily bread or pastry to help so many start their day, are some of the most beautiful moments—and meditations—a baker can experience. To open the doors of your shop and present your very best almond croissants, morning buns, and fresh muffins is an act of love. To feed people as they start their day is an honor.