Alex Bois
Lost Bread Co. | Philadelphia
April 2019
As a biochemistry major at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Alex Bois dove into his work in the biology lab, studying the biorhythms of animals and the natural world. He began to develop an interest in fermentation, grain chemistry, and microbiology, naturally, and started home brewing beer with the intention of pursuing a career as a brewer after college. But when he contracted liver disease on a trip to Bangladesh and could hardly stomach any food, much less alcohol, Bois had to change his plans. Discovering that the same principles of fermentation and chemistry could be applied to bread, Bois began baking while slowly regaining his strength.
After improving his skills while working with Jim Lahey at New York City’s Sullivan Street Bakery, Bois followed his girlfriend to Philadelphia and started working at Ellen Yin and Eli Kulp’s Fork. Bois took over the bread program and helped open Yin and Kulp’s new project next door, an all-day eatery called High Street on Market. His innovative breads, which used uncommon ingredients and locally grown and milled grains, drew national attention to the restaurant and helped him earn nominations for James Beard’s for “Rising Star Chef” in 2015 and 2016. In 2017, Bois went out on his own to create Lost Bread Co. (there’s plenty whole grain kouign-amann and croissants, too!), a retail bakery with a wholesale backbone, whose operations run out of a warehouse in Olde Kensington. Lost Bread Co. recently launched a grain share program, where customers can pick up breads, pastries, pantry staples, and a ’zine with recipes and information about a new grain each month.
